Another : part one
by mama3
Summary: So here is my another world fanfiction this was the first story i ever did and as i totally love carly and carjack in atwt i totally fell in love with m.j. mc.kinnon and adam cory in another world.
1. Chapter 1

So here is my another world fanfiction  
this was the first story i ever did and as i totally love carly and carjack in atwt i totally fell in love with m.j. and adam cory in another world.  
you can compaire them a bit as carjack and m.j. has just as carly made some mistakes in her past and adam is much like jack a stubborn man who seems to think that m.j. was perfect untill he found out she was only human just like everybody else and he couldn't handle that.  
guess i just love the underdog LOL  
my story kind of starts about two years after adam broke up with m.j. on their wedding-day on screen and i couldn't watch it on tv anymore and i made my own another world as i thought things should go.  
ofcourse i added some karakters of my own choice and started up some new s.l.'s as well as continue on some old in a way.  
here's some of my first pages of my another world story.  
i added a new girlfriend for adam: susan harrison,she works as a shrink and she has a brother,ryan who is a cop.  
shawn cassidy who is felica's dead husband,zahn's nephew.  
i let jamie & lisa get married as well as involve nicole with shane and a few other things  
hope you enjoy it

Another world;

A new beginning...!

It was a beautyfull saturdaymorning and the sun was shinning,but adam Cory didn't seem to notice it when he was woken up by a loud pounding on his front door and angry,because of the way that he was woken up,he got out of bed.

"Do you know what time it is?"asked he angry when he saw jake standing outside his frontdoor;"You woke me up!"

"I'm sorry,adam,but you asked me to come here at ten and it's 15 minutes past ten now."answered jake;"How is your head?" "It feels like it's ready to explode."

"I'm not suprised about that, adam, because you had a lot to drink at your birthdayparty lastnight."

"I hardly remember a thing about lastnight,jake,it's all a bit hazy."said he slowly;"Did anything happen lastnight?"

"Well,it was a great party and you were having fun,untill susan got angry at you around one in the morning."answered his friend;"She left and you started drinking pretty much until) i took you home together with cass around three this morning." "Why did susan get angry at me?"asked adam suprised;"Was it because i was drunk or something?"

"No,she was angry because of my cousin?" "Because of Cheryl or kathleen?"

"No,because of your ex-flancee,adam,about m.j."said jake slowly;"She was really mad at you."

"But why?"asked he confused;"That makes no sense."

"Susan overheard you talking to me about m.j. and she got it into her head that you were still in love with her."

"That's crazy."answered adam;"Why would i have let her go if i had still been in love with her?"

"I don't know, adam. "said jake hesitating;"You're the only one that can answer that."

At the Cory's amanda had been up for hours and she just got back from the stables when she ran into sam;"Hey." "Hey."said her husband slowly;"You were up pretty early."

"I couldn't sleep anymore,sam,so i got up and decided to go to the stables."

"I'm sorry about lastnight,amanda,i didn't mean for it to get so out of hand and end into a fight again."started sam as he put his arms around her waist;"I hate it when we fight."

"So do i."answered amanda tired;"So why do we Keep Going it then?"

"I don't know,amanda,i really don't want to fight with you."

"Neither do i,sam."smiled his wife sadly;"I do understand why you want us to get a place of our own,but i just think that we should wait until) after the baby is born."

"Why don't we talk about that anymore time."answered sam slowly;"What were you doing by the stables anyway, amanda,did you went to feed the horses or something?"

"No,i went for a ride on lighting sam."

"You know that you can't do that right now!"said her husband irritated;"You're pregnant."

"1 know that,sam,but that doesn't mean that i can't do anything anymore!"answered amanda angry and started to walk away again;"Mind your own business!"

"Damned!"said sam tired and followed her back to the house; "Amanda,wait!"

At the same time cheryl was trying to sneak back into her parents' house,praying that they'd allready gone to work and hadn't noticed that she's spent the night somewhere else,when her mother caught her going up the stairs;"Cheryl ,where have you been all night?"

"At a friend of mine,mama,i fell asleep on the caugh while we were watching a movie."answered her daughter as she came back downstairs;"Are you and paps mad at me?"

"Your father doesn't know that you didn't come home lastnight,cheryl,i didn't know it myself until) this morning."said mary slowly;"And you're lucky that he doesn't know,because you know how he can fly off the handle sometimes."

"Thanks,mama,i really didn't mean to worry you like that."

"He must be really something special if you're willing to risk getting into trouble for him."smiled her mother teasing;"Your father would have had fit if he'd found out."

"Do you think that i didn't come home because of a guy?"asked cheryl,acting all innocent;"Don't you believe me?" "Come on,sweetheart,i know you well enough to know better."laughed mary;"But i don't mind,cheryl,as long as you're more careful) in the future,because your father isn't going to be so understanding."

Cass Wintrop was just getting dressed when his wife came into their bedroom;"I thought that you were still asleep."

"I just got up."said he and turned around;"Where's ray?"

"In his bed."smiled Kathleen as she put her arms around cass and kissed him gently;"Why don't we go back to bed?"

"As tempting as that sounds,honey,I'm afraid that I can't."laughed cass and kissed her back;"I wish that I could,but I can't."

"Why not?"asked his wife surprised;"It's Saturday and ray is asleep,so why not?"

"Because I have an important meeting in about 30 minutes,honey,I told you about that lastnight."

"I forgot."said Kathleen disappointed and sat down on the bed;"Why are you have a meeting on a Saturday-morning anyway?"

"Mack really needed to talk to me and I promised him."answered cass as he kissed his wife again;"I will make it up to you tonight,Kathleen,I promise."

"You'd better keep that promise!"warned she him teasing;"You don't wanna end up on my bad side."

It was almost lunchtime when jake came out of the elevator at tops and saw his ex-fiancee,marlee Hudson,sitting at a table with her parents and her twinsister,Vicky,so he walked straight up to the bar;"A beer please."

"Hello,jake,what brings you downhere?"asked felica gallant,his friend,as she sat down next to him;"Did you and cass get adam home allright after the party?"

"Ofcourse we did."answered jake and got up;"I'll be right back."

Slowly he walked towards the bathrooms and was about to go into the men's room when he was pulled into the ladiesroom;"Hey!"

"What kind of a hello is that?"asked the beautyfull woman and pulled him into one of the toilets while she started to open up his shirt;"Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Ofcourse I am,Vicky,but this is the ladiesroom!"whispered jake surprised and gently tried to stop her from opening up his shirt;"What if somebody finds me in here?"

"So?"laughed Vicky and began to kiss him all over;"I live for danger,jake,don't you?"

"You're nuts."smiled he,knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist her;"What if your family were to find you in here with me,Vicky?"

"You're no fun."said she teasing and wanted to open up the toiletdoor;"Bye."

"Oh,no,you're not going anywhere!"whispered jake into her ear as he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her;"Do you really think that I'm gonna let you leave now after you've turned me on like that?"

"You're bad,jake ."smiled Vicky and kissed him back;"I love it!"

Just as things were heating up some more they suddenly heard somebody coming in;"Vicky?"

"I'm in here."answered she,as jake held in his breath,from behind

the closed door;"I will be right out."

"Allright,we'll be by the elevator."said her twinsister as she left the

ladiesroom again;"See you in few minutes."

"Keep that thought until later on."smiled vicky and kissed

jake,while she walked away;"Bye."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Susan harrison was just coming out of her office at the hospital when she saw adam Cory towards her and she turned around to walk away again;"I don't want to talk to you!"

"Please,don't walk away?"begged adam as he grabbed her arm;"Just hear me out."

"Why should i?"asked susan a bit angry;"I thought that things were pretty clear lastnight at your party."

"I'm sorry,susan,i was drunk lastnight and if i acted like a jerk then i'm sorry."said her boyfriend slowly;"I don't even remember what happened."

"I don't want to waist my time with somebody that's still in love with his ex,adam,i just won't!"

"But i'm not in love with m.j. and i really don't understand where you got that idea from."answered adam;"What did i do or say lastnight to gave that idea to you?"

"I overheard you and jake talking about her,adam."said susan slowly;"When i heard the sound of your voice as you were talking about her i suddenly knew that you would never feel the same way about me as you do about her!"

"Did i tell jake that i was still in love with my ex?"asked he confused;"What were we talking about?"

"You two were talking about how difficult it was for her family that nobody knew where she was and then jake said that he wished that she's come back again."answered his girlfriend;"You should have heard the tone in your voice when you were talking about her." "I am not in love with my ex and i can't believe that you would believe that just because i was talking to jake about how hard it is for her family that they don't know where she is or if she's okay!"started adam a bit angry;"Do you really think that i would be with you if i still had feelings for her?"

"I don't know,adam,all i know is what i heard lastnight."

"You heard wrong!"answered he and calmed down,while he put his arms around her and kissed her;"I'm with you,susan,so don't worry so much."

At the same time the policestation was almost empty,except for shane Cassidy and ryan harrrison,who were working in their office.

"What do you think?"asked ryan and turned towards shane;"Do you think we can catch those guys before they hit another store or gasstation?"

"I don't know,ryan,i hope so."answered he looking up from his papers;"These guys are so good and we've got so little to go on."

"Well,atleast they don't hurt anybody when they attack a place."

"I'm afraid that if we don't stop them that somebody might get hurt eventually."started shane slowly;"That is just a matter of time with these things."

"I'd just wish that we got a break, shane,something that could lead us to who-ever is doing this!"answered ryan irritated;"These guys have robbed over 3000 dollars by now."

"I know and it's fustrating not beefing able to do anything about it yet,but we will catch them."said his partner;"It's just a matter of time and good policework."

"If only we had a witness or something,shane,maybe we could catch these guys then."

"We will catch them,ryan,don't worry about it."

"But what if they hurt or kill somebody before we can stop them?"asked ryan worried;"What then?"

"All we can do is our job and hope that we get a break."answered shane slowly;"We aren't supercops,ryan,we can't prevent bad things from happening."

Later that day jamie was just walking into his parents' livingroom when he ran into his brother-in-law;"Hai,sam,where is everybody?"

"Your parents are out and i don't know where your sister is."answered sam and wanted to walk further;"Bye."

"What is going on?"asked jamie as he stopped sam;"Are you and amanda fighting again?"

"That's all we seem to be doing these days."said his brother-in-law tired and sat down on the caugh;"She went horsebackriding this morning and when i said something about that she got mad at me,jamie."

"Has she gone nuts?"asked he suprised;"I told her not to do that now that she's pregnant again, sam,especially after last time."

"I know,but try telling amanda that!"answered sam;"I don't know anymore,jamie,it's almost as if everything that i say or do makes her angry."

"That's probaly only because she's pregnant right now,sam,i wouldn't worry too much about it."

"But i do worry about it,jamie,do you have any idea what it's like having to watch every word you say and everything that you do just because you're afraid that you might get into a fight with your wife?"asked he softly;"I just wish that amanda would understand why i want to move out of here and get a place of our own."

"I think that it's perfectly normal for you to want to move out of here and get a place of your own."said jamie;"Nobody wants to live with their in-laws forever."

"Well,if it's up to your sister we will be staying here forever."answered sam angry;"She said that she isn't ready yet and that i'm beeing unreasonable."

"I don't think that you're beeing unreasonable, sam,i wouldn't want to stay with my in-laws forever."

"Are you talking about me?"asked an angry voice behind them all of a sudden and when they turned around they saw amanda standing there;"Are you talking to my brother about us?" "It isn't like that, amanda."said her husband tired;"I just said that i don't want to fight with you all the time anymore." "That's great, sam,you're complaining about me to my brother!"answered amanda furious as she turned around;"That's just great!"

"Wait a minute,amanda,that's not what sam was doing!"started her brother slowly and grabbed her arm;"Sam loves you and he only wants what is best for you."

"Sure,jamie,take his side!"said she and pushed her brother away,while she started to walk away again;"Go to hell!" "Great!"said sam softly as they watched his wife walking away;"Now i'm really in the doghouse."

"Don't worry, sam,she'll get over it."answered his brother-inlaw;"Once she's calmed down."

Donna hudson was sitting out on the patio when one of her daughters came outside;"Where is marlee?"

"How should i know?"asked vicky irritated;"Do i look like her personal-assistant?"

"It was just a question,victoria?"said donna a bit suprised;"Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood!"answered her daughter angry as she started to walk away again;"Just leave me alone."

"What's up with vicky?"asked nicole and came outside,after she had almost been knocked down by her niece;"What did you say to her?"

"Nothing."said donna slowly;"She's been like this eversince we came back from tops."

"Maybe she's having men-troubles."laughed her sister and sat down;"Has she been seeing anybody lately,donna?"

Not that i know,but then again victoria doesn't really convide in me anyway."answered she;"But i did notice that she's been acting strange and sneaky lately."

"Well maybe vicky has got a secret lover or something."

"Why would she want to keep her having a boyfriend a secret?" "Maybe it's somebody that you and michael wouldn't like if you knew."said nicole teasing and started laughing when she saw her sister's worried face;"Hey,i'm just teasing you,donna,don't look so worried."

"But what if you're right,nicole,what if victoria is involved with somebody that isn't right for her?"asked donna worried;"What if this guy will hurt her or something?"

"I doubt if it's anything like that, donna. "laughed her sister;"Besides, vicky is a grown woman and i'm sure that she can take care of herself."

At mary's place vince was standing in the kitchen,talking to his youngest daughter while he was cleaning up,when all of a sudden he got dizzy and had to hold on to the table to prevent himself from falling down,while he closed his eyes. "Paps?"asked Cheryl worried and grabbed his arm;"Are you allright?"

"I'm fine."answered vince as he opened his eyes ;"It's okay." "No,it's not,paps."said his daughter as she wanted to walk away;"I'm going to get mama."

"No,don't!"begged he and grabbed her arm;"Don't tell your mother!"

"Why not?"asked Cheryl confused;"You almost collapsed just now,paps,you need to see a doctor."

"There's no need for that,honey,it was probaly just the heat or something like that."answered vince and tried to smile;"I'm fine now,cheryt,there's no need for us to worry your mother." "But don't you think that mama would want to know about it?"

"If i promise you to see a doctor this week will you promise me not tell your mother then?"asked her father slowly;"Promise me,cheryl." "Allright then."answered she softly;"But you have to promise me that you will go and see a doctor this week, paps, promise me!"

"I promise."smiled vince as he gave his daughter a hugg;"Hey,don't look so worried, honey, everything's fine."

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

That night adam and susan were dancing at tops when she saw her brother coming out of the elevator,so susan stopped;"There's ryan."

"What brings you here all alone?"asked adam teasing when they walked towards him;"How were things at the station today?"

"Fine."answered ryan irritated and turned towards his sister;"1 thought that you were through with him after yesterday?"

"Hey!"said adam a bit angry as he pushed ryan away;"Mind your own business!"

"Just let me talk to ryan for a minute!"started susan softly and pushed adam gently away from her brother,while she grabbed ryan's arm and took him with her towards the terras;"Let's talk,ryan."

"Fine!"answered her boyfriend still a bit angry and sat down at the bar;"Have fun!"

"What are you doing here with him?"asked ryan irritated;"I thought that you were through with him,susan,why do you want to keep going out with a man that's still hung up on his ex?" "Adam and i have sorted things out, ryan,he swore to me that he isn't still in love with her and i believe him!"

"How can you believe him after you saw his face lastnight and heard the sound of his voice as he was talking to jake about her?" "Because i love him!"answered his sister tired;"I know tht you're only trying to protect me,ryan,but please just mind your own business and let me handle this my own way!"

"I just don't want to see you getting hurt!"said he slowly;"Maybe adam really does believe that he doesn't still have feelings for his ex anymore,but after what we both heard and saw lastnight we know better then that!"

"Please,ryan,just act normal towards adam."begged susan softly;"If you really love me then you will do this for me!" "Fine,i'll keep my thoughts to myself."answered her brother;"But if he hurts you in any way then he's mine,susan,that's a promise!"

Victoria hudson was sitting on the beach,staring at the water,when she heard somebody sitting down next to her in the sand; "Hey,you."

"Hey."said she back without looking up;"What are you doing here?" "I was looking for you."answered jake;"Are you still mad at me?" "Maybe."started vicky slowly;"How did you know i was here?" "I didn't."smiled her boyfriend;"I just hoped that you were." "1 like the beach at night."said she softly; "Especially this part of the beach,because hardly anybody comes here."

"Look,i'm sorry about what happened earlier."started jake slowly;"I'm a big jerk and i can understand if you would never want to see me again."

"I don't think that i could,jake,even if i wanted to."answered his girlfriend teasing;"You're like a bad habit,jake ,hard to break."

"Thanks a lot."laughed he a bit suprised by her answer;"Does this mean that you're not angry at me anymore?"

"It means that i'm giving you a chance to make it up to me."smiled vicky and pushed him into the sand,as she sat down on top of him;"So,start making it up to me."

"Do you think tht you're up for that?"asked jake as he gently started kissing her;"Do you think that you can handle that?"

Mary was standing behind the bar at mary's place,talking to kathleen and cass,when vince came out of the kitchen;"So,this kitchen is clean again."

"Finished for the day?"asked cass as his father-in-law sat down next to him;"You look tired."

"Don't you start too."warned vince irritated;"I'm not tired!"

"I got a letter from ben today."said mary quickly to change the subject;"He wrote that he might be coming home again soon." "How is he doing?"asked kathleen;"Is he still working in palm springs?"

"Yes,he said that it's great there,but that he's starting to miss us a lot and that he's thinking about a vacation."answered her mother;"I just wish that i could remember more about ben." "Well ben was about three or four when you dissappeared,so it's not that strange that you don't remember much about him."said vince slowly;"I still don't understand why that boy can't just come home and find a job down here, because we're his family and he belongs here with us."

"Ben just doesn't want to stay in one place for too long."answered kathleen;"I'm suprised that he stayed in palm springs for that long."

"I wish that m.j. would come back again."said her father all of a sudden;"Or atleast call or something to let us know if she's okay." "I can't understand how she can just stay away without letting us know if she's allright and where she is."started kathleen angry;"Why aren't you angry at her for that?"

"Kathleen!"warned cass his wife slowly;"Don't start that again!" "I'm sure that m.j. doesn't mean to worry us."answered vince softly;"I'm sure that your sister will come back once she's ready." "Why do you always take her side?"asked his daughter still angry;"You've done that all my life,paps,m.j. has always been able to get away with anything."

"Calm down, kathleen!"said cass and wanted to put his arm around her,but she pushed him away;"This isn't helping anybody."

"Fine,cass,take her side too!"yelled his wife as she rushed out of there;"I'm going home."

"**What **was that all about?"asked mary confused;"I had no idea that kathleen felt that way about her sister."

"I think that she's feeling helpless because of the whole situation,so she's just acting out."answered sass and walked towards the door;"I'd better see if my wife is allright." "Sure."said vince still a bit shocked about the way that kathleen had acted;"Would you call us and let us know if she's okay when you get home?"

"Ofcourse."smiled his son-in-law;"But i wouldn't worry too much,because i'm sure she has allready calmed down a bit by now."

At the Cory's sam was waiting for his wife to come back again when finally around midnight she came in;"Where have you been,amanda,do you have any idea how worried i have been?" "Do i look like i care?"asked she angry and wanted to go upstairs;"I'm going to bed."

"No,you're not!"answered sam as he grabbed her arm;"We have to talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about,sam,i know what i saw earlier today when i caught you and Jamie talking about me."

"It wasn't like that,amanda,we are just both worried about you!"said her husband tired;"I just don't want anything to happen to you or to our unborn baby."

"You can talk all you like,sam,but i don't want to hear it!"warned amanda him and tried to push sam away;"Let go off my arm!" "Why do you keep doing this,amanda?"asked sam as he let her go;"I want this marriage to work,but i can't do that alone!" "Oh,so it's all my fault now,sam,isn't it?"

"Ofcourse not,but i want to work things out and all you do is push me away."

"What is going on downhere?"asked mack irritated as he came down the stairs;"You two are waking your mother and me up!" "I'm going to bed."said amanda and walked past her father upstairs;"Goodnight,dad."

"Were you two fighting again?"asked mack and looked worried at his son-in-law; "What is going on between you two lately?"

"I don't know anymore,mack,i really don't."answered sam tired and went after his wife towards their bedroom;"I'm going to bed too."

The next morning Michael Hudson was having breakfast with his wife when their two oldest daughters came into the livingroom,laughing;"So you two are in a good mood."

"That's a change from yesterday,Victoria."said her mother looking up;"You were in a really bad mood when i saw you yesterday."

"Yes,i was and now i'm not."laughed vicky and sat down;"1'm so hungry that i could eat a horse."

"What is his name,vicky?"asked her father teasing;"Do we know him?"

"I have no idea what you mean."said she and tried to look as innocent as possible;"I really have no clue what you're talking about."

"Come on,vicky,everytime you have such a mood swings it's always about some guy."laughed michael;"What's the big secret?" "There is no secret. "answered his daughter;"I'm not seeing anybody right now,michael,i wish that i was."

"I'm sure that vicky would tell us if she was seeing somebody."said marlee and turned towards her twin-sister;"Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Yes,i am."answered vicky suprised;"Why?"

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out tonight or something."smiled her twinsister;"What are you going to do?" "Oh,i'm going to see a friend of mine."said vicky lying;"Maybe we can do something together tomorrow-night." "Sure."answered marlee;"That would be nice."

Susan harrison was allready up and having her breakfast when adam came into the kitchen; "Good morn ing,why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you looked like you could use some more sleep."answered she looking up;"You didn't sleep until) pretty late lastnight or should i say this morning."

"I didn't wake you up,did i?"asked adam worried;"After we went to bed i had trouble falling asleep,so i went downstairs to watch some t.v."

"Why did you have trouble falling asleep, adam,were you troubled by something?"

"You're not at work right now and i'm not your patient!"answered her boyfriend irritated;"You know that i hate it when you do that!" "I wasn't asking that as a shrink,but as your girlfriend."said she softly;"Or can't i be worried about you because of my work?" "No,ofcourse not,susan,but i just don't want you to analyse me."started adam slowly;"That's all."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

At mary's place vince was allready getting everything ready to open up when his oldest daughter walked in;"Hai,paps."

"Hai."said he looking up;"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes,and I'm sorry about lastnight."answered Kathleen softly;"I shouldn't have acted so stupid or run off like that."

"I didn't know that you felt like that about your sister or the way that she had left us."

"Please just forget about what i said lastnight,paps,i didn't mean any of it."said she lying and tried to smile;"I hope that m.j. comes back again soon."

"So do i."answered her father tired;"So do i."

"Where's mama?"asked kathleen all of a sudden as she looked around;"Is she in the kitchen?"

"No,she's still at home."said vince slowly;"She's a bit angry at me right now."

"How come?"laughed his daughter;"What did you do this time?" "Nothing."answered he irritated;"She keeps pushing me to see a doctor and i keep telling her that there's no need for me to see a doctor,so now she's angry at me."

"Why are you so against seeing a doctor,paps,it could never hurt to have a check-up or are you scared that they might find something?" "No,ofcourse not."said vince;"But i don't see why i should go and see a doctor when there's nothing wrong with me." "Maybe you should just go if it will make mama happy."suggested kathleen;"Then she will be happy and leave you alone." "I'm not going to a doctor just to make your mother happy,kathleen,a doctor is for sick people and i'm not sick!"answered her father angry;"Now,let's just drop it!"

At the Cory's rachel was just walking towards the stables when she saw her daughter coming out of there;"What are you doing here,amanda,you know that you can't go horsebackriding right now!"

"Don't you start too!"warned amanda her mother irritated;"It won't kill me or my baby if i take my horse out for a little ride once in a while."

"It can cause this pregnancy to go wrong just like before."answered rachel a bit shocked;"You know what your brother told you!" "You sound just like sam!"said her daughter angry and walked away;"I wish that you would all just leave me alone!" Just as amanda was walking away mack Cory's car showed up and he stepped out;"What's up with amanda?"

"She's angry at me."said his wife tired;"Sometimes i just don't understand our daughter."

"What did you say to her?"asked mack laughing;"Well?"

"It seems that she's been going horsebackriding again and i told her that she couldn't do that anymore,because it's too dangerous right now and she got angry at me."

"You were right saying something about that to her,honey,she could lose her baby if she keeps doing that."said her husband worried;"Maybe Jamie should have another talk with her or sharlene."

"That's a good idea,mack,I will ask sharlene to talk to her and maybe she will listen."

"Did you happen to ask Amanda about lastnight?"

"No,I didn't get a chance,mack."answered Rachel slowly;"She got angry at me as soon as I started warning her about horsebackriding in her condition."

"Let's just hope that our daughter will listen to sharlene."said mack;"I don't want her to lose another baby."

It was just after lunchtime when scott laSalle walked into michael's office;"What was so important that I had to come to your office on a Sunday?"

"This is."said Michael and gave him a piece of paper;"Now do you see why I wanted to meet you here at such short notice and on a Sunday?"

"Are you sure about this?"asked scott a bit shocked after he'd readthe paper that Michael had given him;"Do you know what this would mean if this were true?"

"Ofcourse I do,scott."said he slowly;"I knew that there was something funny going on when I found out that somebody was trying to destroy my company,but I had no idea that he was behind it."

"Does donna know,Michael,did you tell her?"

"Ofcourse not,scott,I can't tell her about this!"

"Don't you think that she's got a right to know?"asked scott surprised;"What if he were to come back to town again and she finds out that you've known all along?"

"He won't come back,because he wouldn't dare."laughed Michael;"There are too many people here that would rather see him dead."

"What are you going to do about this right now?"

"Try and stop him before he gets a chance to destroy my company,scott,I'd rather kill him first then seeing him destroy what I have worked so hard to build!"

"Just be carefull with what you wish for,Michael!"warned scott him;"I have seen how he works too many times."

At mary's place vince was working in the kitchen when mary walked in;"I'm going to the shop to get some things."

"Mary…"started vince slowly as he grabbed her arm;"Why are you still angry with me?"

"You know why,vince !"answered she a bit angry;"I just don't understand why you keep refusing to see a doctor."

"I wish that you would just shut up about that for once!"warned he her and started to get angry too;"I don't need a doctor!"

"You are the most pigheaded man that i have ever met!"started mary,but stopped worried when vince suddenly grabbed for his chest;"What's wrong,vince?"

"I don't know."whispered vince as he leaned against the table and started turning blue;"I can't breath!"

"Vince!"yelled mary shocked when he suddenly fell down on the ground and sat down next to him,shaking him;"Wake up,vince,please wake up!"

"What is all the yelling about in here,guys,are you fighting again?"asked Kathleen as she came into the kitchen,but as soon as she saw her father laying on the floor she yelled to her husband,who was sitting at the counter,to call 911.

"He can't die,Kathleen,he can't die!"said her mother in shock while kathleen was doing her best to keep her father alive;"He isn't going to die,is he?"

"Not if I can help it!"answered she and kept on fighting for vince's life;"Go and see what is keeping that ambulance,mama!"

Jake was laying in bed with Vicky when he suddenly got up;"I'm gonna take a shower."

"Don't go."begged his girlfriend as she pulled him back into bed;"It's not like we have anywhere to go."

"What's the point in laying in bed for hours?"asked jake and got up again;"Besides,shouldn't you get back before you're missed?"

"What's going on with you,jake,why are you acting like this?"

"Nothing's going on."answered he and sat down on the bed again;"I'm just in a bit of a strange mood,Vicky,that's all."

"Did I do something wrong?"asked she worried;"You weren't acting like this when I got here."

"You didn't do anything wrong,baby,it's not your fault."smiled jake and kissed her gently;"It's my problem,Vicky,not yours."

"Then tell me what is wrong and maybe I can help you."begged his girlfriend still worried;"Just tell me,jake."

"No,there's nothing to tell,Vicky,there's nothing to worry about."said he and lay down on top of her;"Besides,don't we have better things to do then talk?"

At tops Cheryl was talking to dawn and felica when dawn's brother,chad,came towards them;"Hey,ladies."

"Hi,chad."said his sister looking up;"What brings you downhere on your day off?"

"Nothing special."answered he;"Do I need a reason to come here?"

"No,ofcourse not."laughed Cheryl quickly and turned towards felica;"When are you gonna marry mitch?"

"Never."smiled felica;"I have been married way too many times to ever wanna do that again and mitch thinks that people don't have to get married to show that they love eachother."

"When are your parents gonna tie the knot again?"asked chad as he looked at Cheryl;"Or don't they want to get married again either?"

"As it so happens paps wants to ask mama to marry him again and he has already bought a ring,but I don't know when he's gonna ask her."answered she;"And with all the fighting they have been doing lately I don't think that he's gonna ask her any time soon."

"All couples fight and your parents have survived much worse then this,so I wouldn't worry too much."said her sister-in-law,dawn,when she saw cass coming out of the elevator;"Hey,there's cass."

"I wonder what he's doing here."started Cheryl slowly as she saw him coming towards them;"He looks pretty upset,so maybe he had a fight with Kathleen or something."

"Hi,guys."said cass when he got to their table and looked at Cheryl and dawn;"I need you ladies to come with me."

"Why?"asked his sister-in-law worried;"Did something happen,cass?"

"It's your father."answered he softly;"He had a heartattack and is at the hospital."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 14

In new York adam was just walking into the hotelgarden for some fresh air after he'd been drinking a bit too much all evening when he saw m.j. sitting on a bench all alone;"Hey,what are you doing here all alone?"

"I could ask you the same thing."said she looking up;"I just came outhere for some fresh air."

"Have you been crying?"asked adam suddenly worried when he saw the tears in her eyes;"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."answered his ex-fiancee softly as she turned her head away;"I'm fine,adam."

"No,you're not."started he slowly and gently wiped away the tears with the back of his hand;"I know you better then that,remember?"

"I remember."said m.j. with a sad look in her eyes as she looked at him;"I…"

"Ssst!"began her ex-fiancee as he felt like there was nobody else in the whole world except for the two of them at that moment and he stared into her eyes while she stared right back,not being able to move,and then he suddenly felt such a strong desire to kiss her.

Without thinking about it adam leaned forwards and kissed m.j. as if it was the most natural thing to do and after her first shocked look at him she put her arms around him and kissed him back.

"I…."whispered she stuned after what seemed like an eternity and pushed him away with a guilty look on her face;"No,this is wrong!"

"You're right and I'm sorry."answered adam as shocked as she was about what had happened;"I don't know what came over me."

"I…."started his ex fiancée softly as she got up and began to walk away;"I have to go,adam."

"Please don't go because of me."said he feeling guilty as he followed her;"Please stay,m.j."

"It's got nothing to do with you."answered m.j. and got into the first cab that she saw infront of the hotel;"I just have to go."

"M.j….."began her ex confused as he watched the cab drive off with m.j, in it;"Damned!"

"Where's m.j.?"asked Karen when adam came back into the ballroom of the hotel;"You were both just outside,weren't you?"

"She just left in a cab."said he hesitating;"I just did something really stupid."

"So what's new?"answered his sister sarcasticly;"Please tell me that you didn't pick a fight with her."

"No,I kissed her."said adam;"I didn't mean to and it's not like I planned it or anything,karen,but we were sitting there and she looked so…."

"You did what?"asked she shocked as well as furious;"How could you have done that?"

"It just happened,Karen,I didn't plan it or anything and she did kiss me back!"

"That wasn't what I meant when I asked you to be nice to her,adam,i didn't want you to make things worse for her!"answered Karen still angry as she walked away;"I'm gonna call her to see if she's okay."

The next morning Amanda and sam were still laying in bed when Amanda tried to get up,but got pulled back into bed by her husband;"I have to get up,sam!"

"What for?"asked he and pulled her on top of him;"Can't we both take the day off and stay here all day long?"

"No,I have to go to work and so do you."answered his wife as she tried to get up again;"Let go off me,sam."

"You're no fun."smiled sam while he let her get up;"How is your new secretary?"

"She seems pretty good at her job so far and she's also really nice,sam."

"What's her name?"asked he as he got out of bed too;"Anybody that we know?"

"No,I don't think so."said Amanda and walked into the bathroom;"Her name is tara Anderson."

"Tara?"started sam slowly and thought back at the girl that he'd slept with,who's name had also been tara;"Oh."

"What's up with you,sam?"asked his wife as she came out of the bathroom and saw standing in the middle of the room with a strange look on his face;"You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"Nothing."answered he lying;"I'm just a bit tired,honey,that's all."

"That's what you get for keeping me up all night."laughed Amanda and wanted to put her arms around sam,but before she got a change he walked into the bathroom;"Sam?"

"What?"asked he from inside the bathroom;"Did you say something?"

"Are you sure that you're okay?"started his wife worried and walked into the bathroom as well;"You're acting really strange all of a sudden,sam,are you angry at me for not wanting to stay in bed with you or something?"

"No,ofcourse not,"answered sam and forced a smile on his face while he kissed her gently;"I'm just tired,honey,that's all."

At the Hudson's donna was having breakfast when marlee walked in;"Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning."said her mother looking up;"How did you sleep?"

"Okay."answered marlee as she sat down;"Did Vicky come home yet?"

"No,not yet,honey,but I'm sure she's okay and that she probably spend the night at jake's."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come down so hard on her for seeing jake,but it's just that I was shocked when I found out,donna."

"Nobody blames you for getting upset when you found out,marlee,i'm sure that Victoria understands too."said she;"Jake really hurt you and it's only natural that you would feel betrayed by your sister when you found out about their relationship."

"I can't understand how she can keep seeing him while she knows what he did to me."answered her daughter softly;"But I didn't mean to drive her away,donna."

"I'm sure that she will come back again once things have settled down again,marlee."started donna slowly;"As long as your father doesn't go making things worse again."

"What did he do then?"asked she worried;"Do you think that I made a mistake by calling him after I found out?"

"No,ofcourse not,sweety,he would have found out anyway."said her mother;"Michael went to mary's place after you called us and warned jake to stay away from Victoria right infront of her."

"I wish that I'd never found out about this,donna,I hate this!"

"I know you do,but maybe we will all learn to deal with it."answered donna softly;"We will have no choice if your sister is really serious about jake ."

In new York Karen had just stopped by her parents' house with her new husband,to say goodbye before they went on their honeymoon;"Goodmorning,guys,where's adam?"

"He's in his room,talking to his girlfriend on the phone."answered her mother;"Ready for your honeymoon?"

"We sure are."smiled Karen when adam came rushing into the livingroom;"Hi,adam."

"What is her phonenumber?"asked he;"Give it to me!"

"Goodmorning to you too."said his brother-in-law teasing;"You look like you've had a rough night."

"This isn't some kind of joke!"answered adam annoyed and looked at Karen;"I really need her phonenumber,karen!"

"To do what?"asked she annoyed as well;"Haven't you done enough lastnight,adam,do you have any idea how upset she sounded when I talked to her on the phone lastnight?"

"Who,adam,what happened lastnight?"started their father confused;"What's going on,guys?"

"I really need her number right now,Karen,I have to get in touch with her because I have to tell her that her father is in the hospital after having a serious heartattack."said he and tried to stay calm;"Susan just called me with the news that Jamie had told her about vince's heartattack and she said that he could still die because he's not out of the woods yet."

"Oh,my god,that is terrible."answered Karen shocked and grabbed her phone;"I will call her."

"Don't tell her over the phone."warned her brother her;"Ask her to come downhere or something,karen,so that I can tell her about her father."

"Why do you want to tell her?"started she suspicious;"Does this have anything to do with what you did lastnight?"

"No,ofcourse not."said adam irritated;"But if I hadn't ended things the way that I did between us two years ago then she'd probably be at home with her family right now."

"Okay,I will call her and ask her to come downhere."promised his sister as she walked away to make the call.

"Would somebody please just tell us what's going on?"asked Nathan cory;"Adam?"

"Just sit down and I'll explain everything while Karen is on the phone."answered he when Karen came into the livingroom again;"That was quick."

"I got her voicemail and asked her to call me right away as soon as she gets the message."said his sister and turned towards her husband;"Would you mind it very much if we went on our honeymoon a few hours later?"

"No,ofcourse not."said carlos as he pulled his wife into his arms and turned towards his brother-in-law;"Well,we're all waiting for you to explain everything."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 15

It was almost noon when Rachel came out of edwin's office at the hospital just as her son walked by;"Mom?"

"Hi,honey."said she and tried to look less caught then she was feeling;"Why aren't you out to lunch?"

"I was just on my way to the lunchroom across the street."answered Jamie and was surprised to see his mother coming out of edwin's office;"What are you doing here,mom,are you sick?"

"No,ofcourse not,honey,I was just here for a check-up."

"Are you sure that you're not sick or anything,mom,why are you have a check-up all of a sudden?"

"With everything that has been going on with vince I thought that it was time for a check-up."answered his mother lying;"That's all."

"Maybe you're right."started Jamie still not convinced;"Where's mack,mom,didn't he come with you?"

"No,jamie,he had a meeting at brava that was really important."

"So?"asked he worried;"What did Edwin say?"

"That I'm just fine."said his mother and hoped that her son couldn't see through her lies;"Why don't you let me buy you lunch today?"

"That sounds great."smiled Jamie as they began to walk towards the elevators;"Let's go."

At jake's place Vicky was just watching some television when the doorbell rang and after she'd opened the door she saw her aunt standing there;"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet your aunt?"asked Nicole laughing and followed her niece into the livingroom;"I only came to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine,Nicole."said her niece;"Did donna or Michael send you?"

"Nobody send me."answered she;"But they are all pretty worried about you."

"So?"started Vicky a bit angry;"If they hadn't reacted so weird about my relationship with jake then I wouldn't be here right now and they wouldn't have to worry about me."

"You knew how they'd react if they were to find out about that,Vicky,so it can't really be such a surprise to you."answered her aunt;"You can't really blame them for reacting this way after all of the things that jake has done in the past."

"If you're here to talk bad about jake then you can leave right now!"

"Hey,I'm on your side here,Vicky,I only said that you can't blame them for reacting the way that they did,but I didn't say that I felt the same way."

"I really love jake and I know that he loves me too,Nicole,he isn't the same guy that he was when he was with marlee and he would never do anything to hurt me."said Vicky softly;"Why can't they just try to understand that?"

"They will,honey,if you just give them some time."answered she;"Just let this rest for a little while and maybe then you can all sit down to sort this out."

At the hospital mary was sitting next to vince's bed when he suddenly opened his eyes;"Mary…?"

"You're awake."smiled she and pushed the nurses-button right away;"Everything's gonna be okay again."

"My chest…"started vince almost whispering;"It hurts…"

"I know,sweety,but the nurse can give you something for that."answered his girlfriend and kissed him gently;"The most important thing now is that you're awake again."

"I…."tried he again and started falling back to sleep;"I…"

"Ssst,don't try to talk."warned mary him;"Just go back to sleep and I'll be right here by your side."

"Is everything allright in here?"asked the nurse who came rushing into the room;"Did you press the button,mrs. ?"

"Yes,I wanted to let you know that mr. was awake just now."said she looking up;"But he went back to sleep again."

"Okay,I will let doctor frame know."answered the nurse and walked away again.

In new York m.j. had just arrived at the cory's and was looking uncomfortable around her;"Why did you want me to come here,adam,your sister said that you had something important to tell me."

"I do."began he slowly and sat down next to her;"This morning I heard that your father's had a serious heartattack and that he's been at the hospital since Monday."

"Paps?"asked m.j. shocked;"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know,but it seems he isn't out of the woods yet."answered her ex-fiancee and put his hand on tops of hers;"Are you okay?"

"Ofcourse she isn't okay!"said Karen irritated as she sat down next to m.j. on the other side of the couch;"Can I get you something to drink,m.j.?"

"No,I have to go overthere!"started she in a panic and got up;"I have to go home."

"You're not going anywhere in that state of mind!"answered adam worried as he got up too;"If there's anything that I can do for you."

"There is."said his sister before m.j. had a chance to say anything;"You can fly back to baycity with her to make sure she gets home safe and sound,adam."

"What?"asked he stuned;"Why don't you go with her if you're that worried?"

"She can't because she has to go on a honeymoon with me in about an hour."said carlos;"I think that it's a great idea that you go back home with m.j. and help her to get home safe and sound."

"No,adam doesn't have to babysit me,because I can take care of myself!"answered m.j. irritated;"I can fly home by myself."

"They are right,m.j."began her ex with a faint smile;"Besides I was going to go home in a few days anyway,so all I'm doing is go back a few couple of days early and that way everybody is happy."

"You don't have to do this!"said she softly;"I can do this by myself!"

"I want to do this!"answered adam hesitating;"Your family as well as mine would never forgive me if I let you go all by yourself in this state."

That afternoon mitch was talking to felica at tops when his brother came up to him;"I need to talk to you."

"Can't you see that I'm busy?"asked mitch irritated as he turned around;"Shouldn't you be with your wife or something?"

"She's at work."answered his brother;"I really need to talk to you,mitch,I'm not joking."

"It's okay,mitch,just go and talk to your brother."laughed felica as she began to walk away;"I have to make a few phonecalls anyway."

"Allright then."said he and sat down with his brother;"What was so important that you had to come and talk to me about it?"

"Amanda told me the name of her secretary this morning and I almost felt my heart skipping a few beats."started sam slowly;"Her name is tara."

"So?"asked his brother surprised;"There will probably be more girls named tara in this world,sam,that doesn't mean that your wife's secretary is the same girl that you slept with."

"But what if it is the same girl,mitch,what then?"

"Come on,sam,what are the odds of that?"laughed he;"You're just seeing things,sam,just forget about what happened and go on with your life."

At the hudson's donna was playing with her youngest daughter,kristy,when her sister came into the nursery;"Hello,Nicole,what brings you downhere?"

"I came to see how you were all doing."said her sister;"I talked to Vicky earlier."

"How was she?"asked donna worried;"What did she say,nicole?"

"She's upset ofcourse."answered she;"She really seems to love him,donna,I don't think that this is just a fase or something."

"I didn't think that it was just a fase,Nicole,I don't doubt that her feelings for him are real and I think that she's never stopped loving him after they broke up the first time."started her sister slowly;"But I'm just worried that he will hurt her like he's hurt marlee before."

"But what if she's right about jake being a changed man,donna?asked Nicole hesitating;"Would you be able to accept their relationship?"

"I want to because I'm the last person that's got a right to judge anybody else after all the things that I have done in my life."answered she tired;"But I just don't want to see Victoria get hurt."

"Maybe you should tell your daughter how you feel,donna,instead of me."said her sister;"I think that she'd be happy to hear that."

Rachel was laying on bed with her eyes closed when her daughter came in;"Mom?"

"Hello,honey."said she and opened her eyes;"What can I do for you?"

"Is everything okay,mom?"asked Amanda worried;"Why are you laying in bed?"

"I just had a bit of a headache,Amanda,that's all."answered her mother lying;"Everything's fine."

"This is all my fault,mom,all this fighting between me and sam must have been pretty terrible for you and dad."

"My headache isn't your fault at all,honey,people can get a headache without it being anybody's fault."

"Maybe you should see a doctor or something."started she still worried;"You haven't looking so good lately,mom."

"Thanks for the compliment,Amanda."said Rachel teasing with a faint smile;"I don't have to see a doctor,honey,it's just a headache."

"Are you sure,mom?"asked her daughter;"You would tell me if there was something wrong,wouldn't you?"

"Ofcourse I would."answered she lying again;"There is nothing wrong with me,honey,so don't look so worried."

Later that evening adam arrived at the baycity-airport with m.j. and after checking out their bags they walked outside of the building;"Home sweet home."

"You really didn't have to do this,adam."said m.j. a bit uncomfortable and not sure how to act around her ex-fiancee;"I could have done this by myself."

"Karen wouldn't have forgiven me if I'd let you go home all by yourself."answered he and not sure how to act around m.j. either;"Besides,I didn't mind."

"Do you feel as uncomfortable about being here together as I am?"started his ex-fiancee with a faint smile;"We haven't seen eachother for almost two years and neither of us know what to say to eachother."

"I know."began adam hesitating as he took m.j.'s hand into his and wished they weren't standing at a crowded airport;"Look,about what happened at karen's wedding…"

"Adam…?"asked a voice behind them before m.j. had a chance to answer adam and when they turned around adam saw susan standing there;"What are you doing home already and why is she with you?"

"Susan…."said he and tried to look caught and guilty as he quickly pulled his hand away from m.j.'s;"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up an old friend of mine from Washington."answered his girlfriend with an angry look;"You still haven't answered my question."

"I ran into m.j. in new York and Karen asked me to fly back with her after hearing about vince's heartattack."started adam slowly as he pulled susan away from his ex-fiancee a bit;"I know how this must look to you,susan,but can we please talk about this some other time?"

"Fine."said she and walked away;"I have to go."

"Why do I get the feeling that she wasn't all that happy to see you with me,adam?"asked m.j. as they to went an empty cab;"Is she your girlfriend?"

"Yes,she is,but don't worry I will explain everything to her later."answered he quickly;"What do you want to do now?"

"Maybe going straight to the hospital isn't a good idea,so I want to go home and wait for mama there."said his ex-fiancee;"Why didn't you tell me that you had a girlfriend?"

"I guess that kind of slipped my mind because I had a lot on my mind,like finding out that you were in new York and that my sister had known for months without telling me."began adam annoyed but calmed down when he saw the hurt look on m.j.'s face;"I'm sorry,m.j.,that wasn't fair and this isn't the moment to be talking about that."

"I guess that I had that coming,so don't worry."answered she with a sad smile;"Look,adam,you did what your sister has asked of you and I can take a cab home by myself and then you can sort things out with your girlfriend."

"No,I promised Karen that I would get you home safe and sound,so that's what I'm gonna do and that means going with you to your parents' house."said her ex-fiancee;"Susan will understand when I explain the situation to her."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Amanda fowler was just about to leave the house when her mother stopped her;"What is going on between you and sam lately?"

"I've already told you that it's none of your business,mom!"warned Amanda her mother irritated;"I don't want to talk to you about my marriage."

"I just want to help you and sam,because everybody can see that you two are having serious problems."said she slowly;"You're pregnant with his baby,Amanda,I don't want to see you two getting a divorce."

"Why not,mom,you were against me being with sam from the moment you found out,so I would think that you would be praying for us to break up."

"That isn't fair,Amanda,I know that I was against you two seeing eachother at first and that I wasn't all that happy when you two got married,but once I got to know sam better and saw how happy he was making you I wasn't against your relationship anymore."

"It's my life,mom,I don't need your advice or anybody else's."answered her daughter angry and opened up the frontdoor;"So,just leave me alone."

"That went well."said mack as he came into the hallway just as Amanda slammed the door shut behind her as she went outside;"I take it that she didn't really care too much for your advice,Rachel?"

"That girl is so strongheaded,mack,I really don't know how to get through to her."

"Who do you think she gets it from."smiled her husband teasing and put his arm around his wife's shoulders;"Just let her calm down and I'm sure she will work it out with sam again,honey,so don't worry so much."

"How can I not worry,mack,when I'm seeing that they are heading towards a divorce?"answered Rachel tired;"I just hope Amanda doesn't do anything stupid."

Around one that day chad was sitting in his room when somebody knocked on the door and when he opened it up he saw Cheryl standing there;"Please,don't be angry at me,chad,I had to come."

"Why would I be angry at you?"asked he surprised and pulled her into his arms as he closed the door;"You should know by now that I could never get angry at you for anything."

"I had to come and feel your arms around me,chad,I have never felt so bad in my whole life."answered Cheryl as she began to cry;"I wish that we could just tell everybody that we're together because then we wouldn't have to sneak around anymore."

"I would love to be able to tell everybody that I love you,baby,but you know how your family would react."said chad and kissed her gently;"They wouldn't accept it,because they still think that I was the cause of adam and m.j.'s break-up and they don't trust me."

"I know,chad,especially paps would hate the idea of you seeing me."started she softly;"He keeps blaming everybody for what happened except for m.j. herself."

"You shouldn't blame your sister for what she did,Cheryl,I talked to her a lot after her break-up with adam because of her past and she was really broken up over losing adam that when you guys found out about kathleen's death or atleast thought she was dead she just lost it and blamed herself for that too."answered her boyfriend;"That's when she probably saw no other way out then to disappear."

"I don't really blame m.j. for leaving like that,but I just wish that we could be honest about our feelings for eachother."

"We will soon enough,baby,I promise."smiled chad and kissed her again;"I love you and I'm not gonna let you get away from me,no matter what anybody thinks."

"I'm glad that you told me the truth about your past and about the things that you did."said she as she lay her head against his chest;"That showed me just how much you love me,chad."

"Ofcourse I told you about that,Cheryl,because you had a right to know."answered her boyfriend;"I have done some terrible things,but I'm not that man anymore."

At mary's place ben and jake were standing behind the counter when Vicky came in with her twinsister and sat down at a table.

"Why did you wanna come here for lunch,Vicky?"asked marlee and seemed annoyed;"Why not at tops?"

"Because I don't wanna go there for lunch everytime,marlee."answered her twin slowly;"Is it hard for you to see jake?"

"Ofcourse not."said she;"I'm all over jake and I couldn't care less about him."

"How would you feel if he was seeing somebody new?"started Vicky hesitating;"Would it be difficult for you?"

"No,I would only feel sorry for his new victim."said her twinsister irritated;"What's all this talk about jake about,Vicky,I thought that we came here for lunch together?"

"Ofcourse we are,marlee,I was just a bit curious."answered she as she quickly looked up at jake,who was staring at them with an unhappy look on his face;"That's all."

"Hello,ladies."smiled ben and came up to them;"What can I get for you two lovely ladies?"

"Just a sandwich."answered Vicky;"And some tea."

"I thought that you were starving."started her twinsister surprised;"Is that all you're having,Vicky?"

"Yes,I'm suddenly not so hungry anymore."said she and got up when she saw jake going towards the bathrooms;"I'll be right back."

"Sure."answered marlee as Vicky walked away and turned towards ben to give him her order.

"Jake!"called Vicky softly out to him as soon as she got far away from her sister and grabbed his arm while she pulled him into a corner out of everybody's sight when she saw that sad look in his eyes again;"Don't look at me like that,jake,I don't like this anymore then you do."

"No?"asked he tired and pulled away from her;"Do you know how hard it is to see you sitting there and not being able to kiss you or tell everybody that I love you?"

"What?"said his girlfriend surprised and put her arms around his neck;"That's the first time that you've said that you love me since we got back together again."

"So?"answered jake confused about the way she was suddenly acting;"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's everything to do with this!"smiled she happy and kissed him again;"I will tell my family soon,jake,I promise."

Susan was having lunch in her office when Jamie walked in;"Why are you having lunch all alone?"

"Because adam left for new York about an hour ago."answered she looking up;"What's your excuse?"

"I don't really have any time to go out to lunch."laughed the young doctor and turned serious all of a sudden;"How did adam seem to you today?"

"A bit distracted and not himself.""said susan surprised;"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because of today,susan,that's why I'm asking you this."

"What's so special about today?"asked she confused;"He's just going to new York for a little while,Jamie,he'll be back soon enough."

"You really don't have any idea,do you?"started Jamie hesitating;"Today was suppose to be his weddingday,susan,if he hadn't called it off two years ago."

"Oh,my god,I had no idea that was today."answered his friend a bit shocked;"I knew that there was something going on with adam this morning,Jamie,but he kept saying that I was being too worried and there was nothing wrong."

"Maybe he just didn't wanna leave you behind being all worried about him."

"Or maybe I was right about the fact that he's still not really over his ex."said susan softly;"Maybe that's why he didn't tell me."

"Don't do this to yourself,susan,you will only drive yourself crazy if you keep thinking like that."warned he his friend;"Just let it rest until adam gets back and then you can talk to him about it."

Sam fowler was working in his office at brava when his father-in-law walked in;"Your secretary told me that you just got in."

"Yes,I'm sorry about that and it won't happen again,mack."answered sam looking up;"I had a bit of a rough night."

"So I heard."said he slowly;"That's not why I came,sam,I came to talk to you about your wife."

"What about her?"asked his son-in-law irritated;"The problems between us aren't all my fault."

"Stop being so defensive,sam,I didn't come here to blame you for anything."answered mack;"I only came to talk to you because I'm worried about Amanda and about what's going on between the two of you and I can't talk to her about it because her mother has already tried it a few times and she won't listen."

"I don't want things to be like this between Amanda and me,but I don't know what to do anymore or how to get through to her without getting into a fight with her,mack."

"Why do you two keep fighting then,sam,what is it about every time?"

"It's mostly about us getting a place of our own or about her being more carefull right now with being pregnant and all,because I don't want her to lose the baby again."

"Maybe you should take your wife away on a vacation or something."suggested his father-in-law;"Maybe you two can slowly work your way back to eachother away from here and all the problems."

"I doubt if that would help right now,but I'm willing to try anything."answered sam tired;"I can't keep this up for much longer."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

That afternoon adam had just arrived in new York and at his parents' house,after his mother had picked him up from the airport,when his sister came home;"Hi,Karen,ready to get married?"

"Ofcourse."laughed she;"When are you going to get married finally?"

"Karen!"warned her mother her quickly;"That isn't funny."

"You're right,mom."said Karen when she saw the look on adam's face and realized what time of year it was;"I'm sorry,adam,that was a bad joke."

"It's okay."answered he;"So where's your husband-to-be?"

"Carlos is still at work,but he'll be here tonight."said his sister;"Why didn't you bring your new girlfriend with you,adam,I'd love to meet her."

"I wanted to,but she couldn't take the time off."

"Maybe they can come together in the fall or something."smiled Elizabeth cory;"Even doctors have to take time off sometimes."

At the hospital back in baycity mary was sitting next to vince's bed when Jamie came into the room;"Hi,mary."

"Hi,Jamie."said she looking up;"Is there any news yet?"

"I didn't get all the testresults back yet,but so far it doesn't look good."answered the young doctor;"But he seems to be hanging in there and atleast he got through the night again,so that's a good sign."

"Does this mean that he's gonna pull through this?"asked mary;"Is he gonna be okay again,jamie?"

"I wish I could promise you that,mary,but I can't."started he slowly;"Vince had a massive heartattack and he's lucky to still be alive,but we're gonna do everything that we can to help him through this."

"Will he need surgery or something,Jamie?"

"It's too early to tell,mary,but surgery might be an option down the road."

"I warned him about seeing a doctor time after time."said his friend with tears in her eyes;"But he just wouldn't listen,Jamie,maybe I should have forced him."

"Hey,it's not your fault,mary,you couldn't have known that this was gonna happen and vince isn't the kind of guy you can just force to go and see a doctor."answered Jamie as he put his arms around her;"Vince is a strong man and I'm sure that he will fight as hard as he can to get through this."

Amanda was waiting for sharlene,her gynecologist and also part of her family,when she came out of her office;"Hi,Amanda,you're up."

"Hi,sharlene."said she and followed her into the office;"How is everything with john?"

"Fine,but let's talk about you right now,Amanda,how are you feeling?"asked sharlene;"In less then three months you're finally gonna become a mother."

"I know and sometimes that scares me a bit."answered Amanda softly;"What if something goes wrong again?"

"Last year you were almost three months pregnant when it went wrong and this pregnancy has been going just fine up until now."started she slowly;"But I would advice you again not to go horsebackriding anymore,Amanda,your mother told me that you're still riding and it's better to stop doing that until after the baby is born."

"She did what?"asked her patient angry;"My mother had no right to do that!"

"Calm down,Amanda,getting all worked up isn't good for you or for the baby!"warned sharlene her;"Your mother only told me because she's worried about you and so am I,honey,you should know by now that you're not suppose to go horsebackriding anymore."

"That still doesn't give her the right to talk to you about me behind my back!"

"I'm glad she did because I have to know these things as your doctor and I want you to promise me that you won't go horseback riding until after the baby is born!"

"If it will make you happy then I will promise not to go horseback riding while I'm still pregnant."answered Amanda;"Okay?"

"Okay."smiled her doctor;"All we want is for you and the baby to be safe and sound,Amanda,we all care about you."

Cheryl was walking towards her car,that was parked in the parkinglot at tops,after she'd left chad's room when she ran into cass;"What are you doing here?"

"I was here to talk to felica."laughed he;"What's your excuse?"

"That's none of your business."said Cheryl angry and wanted to walk away;"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Hey,get back here."started her brother-in-law surprised as he grabbed her arm and stopped her;"Now you're gonna tell me what is going on with you!"

"There is nothing going on with me!"answered she and tried to push cass away;"Just leave me alone!"

"No,you're going to tell me why you've been acting so strange eversince your father has been in the hospital."said cass;"Come on,Cheryl,we're all worried about you."

"What is going on here?"asked a man that suddenly appeared and turned towards Cheryl;"Is this man hurting you,miss?"

"No,I'm her brother-in-law."answered cass annoyed as he let go off cheryl's arm and turned towards the man;"This is family-business,so go away!"

"I wasn't talking to you,mister,but to her!"said the man and wanted to turn back towards Cheryl to ask her something when he saw that she was gone;"Where did she go?"

"Thanks a lot!"started cass angry and walked away to see where Cheryl had gone;"Damned!"

That night jake was just coming out of the shower when the doorbell rang and when he opened up the door Vicky was standing there;"Are you still mad at me?"

"I wasn't mad at you."answered jake as he let her in;"I'm just mad at the whole situation."

"I know and I promise that we won't have to be sneaking around for much longer,jake."promised his girlfriend;"I'm going to tell my family about us."

"Maybe you shouldn't do that just yet,Vicky,I don't want you getting into trouble with your family."started he slowly while he put his arms around her and kissed her;"I love you and I want everybody to know about us,but I can wait a little bit longer."

But what was all that about at lunch then,jake,I thought that you were through with sneaking around with me?"

"That was me being a real jerk,baby,I was just upset with everything that has been going on lately."said jake;"Things don't look good for my uncle right now and at a time like this I'd just wish I could have held you in my arms in public,but I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."

"You've told me that you love me twice today."smiled she and kissed him;"It's been a long time since you've told me that."

"Maybe I should say it more often then."laughed her boyfriend and lifted her up into his arms;"I love you,Victoria Hudson,even if you do drive me crazy sometimes."

"I don't know if I should kiss you or hit you,jake ."answered Vicky while she let him carry her up to his bedroom;"I don't drive you crazy."

"Yes,you do,baby,but I love you anyway."smiled he teasing;"We will tell everybody about us soon enough and until then I can wait,Vicky,I can do anything as long as I've got you."

Adam hadn't been the only one thinking about his weddingday two years ago,because mary was thinking back about the day that should have been the happiest day in her daughter's life.

She was sitting next to vince's bed at the hospital,while she was thinking about the talk she and m.j. had at the chapel…

*****

Mary looked surprised at her daughter,who was looking really upset and who was crying;"What's wrong,sweetheart,why are you crying?"

"It's over,mama,there isn't gonna be a wedding."cried m.j.;"It's over!"

"What are you talking about,honey?"asked her mother confused and put her arms around her daughter;"Did you and adam have a fight?"

"He hates me,mama,he really hates me!"answered she and turned away from her mother;"It's over!"

"It can't be that bad,honey,I'm sure that adam doesn't hate you and that he will be here any minute now to make up with you again."said mary;"You're both just nervous about today and it's easy to say the wrong things at a time like this,but I know for a fact that adam loves you and that whatever he said he didn't mean it."

"You don't understand,mama,you didn't see the look in his eyes when he…."began m.j. and stopped;"He really hates me now and it's all my own fault."

"Why don't you just tell me what happened,sweetheart."asked her mother worried;"Maybe I can help you."

"No!"yelled she almost,freaking out;"I can't tell you what happened,mama,if I told you then you would hate me too!"

"No,I could never hate you!"said mary confused;"What did you do that was so terrible."

"Adam found out that I'd been working as an escortgirl while I was living in Chicago."answered her daughter and sat down on the ground,crying again,when she saw the shocked look on her mother's face;"I was right,mama,now you hate me too just like adam!"

"I don't hate you,sweety."said she still in shock and sat down next to her daughter while she put her arms around her;"I'm just a bit shocked,but that doesn't mean I hate you."

*****

Mary had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard ben coming in until he softly touched her arm;"Mom?"

"I didn't hear you come in,ben."said she softly as she looked up;"Have you been here long?"

"No,I just got here."answered her son a bit worried;"Maybe you should go home and go to bed early tonight,mom,you look exhausted."

"Maybe you're right."smiled mary sadly and got up;"Maybe going to bed early for once would do me some good."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

At the cory's sam was waiting for his wife to come home so that he could talk to her when she finally walked into the livingroom;"I think that we should talk,Amanda,we can't just go on like this anymore."

"If you don't like it then why don't you just get out?"asked she annoyed and sat down on the couch;"I'm not in the mood for this,sam."

"Why do you keep doing this,amanda,all I want is for us to work out our problems and all you can do is start a fight with me."

"I'm not doing anything,sam,you are!"

"Fine,Amanda,if that's the way that you want it!"answered her husband angry;"If you don't want to work out our problems then I don't see why I should keep trying."

"Why don't you just go back to the bar and get loaded again?"asked she angry too;"Just get out of my sight!"

"If that's what you want then that's what you will get!"yelled sam and walked away;"I will get out of your way!"

The next day in new York adam was already up after a restless night when he found his sister in the kitchen,making breakfast;"Goodmorning."

"Hi."said adam as he sat down at the table and tried to reach susan,but all he got was her voicemail;"Damned!"

"Something wrong?"asked his sister worried when she saw the expression on his face;"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about."said he quickly;"Just wanted to talk to susan,but I got her voicemail again."

"Is everything okay between the two of you?"started Karen curious;"I kind of got the feeling that things aren't okay."

"Susan just got it into her head since my birthday that I'm still in love with my ex and now she keeps analizing everything I do or say,Karen,which is driving me nuts."answered her brother;"I'm with her,aren't i?"

"Maybe she isn't so far off base as you think."said she slowly;"The way that you and m.j. broke up,suddenly and out of the blue,and the way m.j. suddenly disappeared never gave you a chance to resolve any unfinished business,adam,so maybe there might be things you aren't aware off yourself and which susan might be picking up on."

"Since when did you become the family-shrink?"asked adam annoyed;"I'm happy with susan and that's that!"

"But what if you were to run into m.j. all of a sudden?"began his sister hesitating;"How would you feel about that?"

"I have no idea and I don't understand why we're even talking about this since for all we know m.j. could be in europa."answered he and saw a strange look on karen's face;"Or do you know something that I don't?"

"Ofcourse not."laughed Karen quickly;"Don't be silly."

"Then let's stop talking about this."said her brother;"For m.j.'s family I hope she comes back to them,but other then that I'm perfectly happy with susan."

At the wintroph's Kathleen was feeding ray when cass came downstairs;"Goodmorning."

"Are you going to try to talk to Cheryl again today?"asked his wife looking up;"I'm really worried about her,cass,mama called me earlier and said that Cheryl is still trying to avoid her."

"I don't think that me talking to your sister is such a good idea after yesterday,Kathleen,that man thought that I was trying to hurt her or something."

"Please try to talk to her again."begged she;"Please,cass."

"Allright."answered cass;"I will go and talk to her again,but I can't promise you that it will have any effect."

"Thank you."smiled his wife and kissed him on his cheeck;"I'm sure that you can get through to her and find out what is going on with her."

"I can atleast try."said he slowly;"One thing is for sure,Kathleen,whatever is going on with her it has got to do with something that happened to your father because before vince's heartattack everything was fine with Cheryl and now she's acting really strange."

In new York adam was in his old room,getting dressed,when all of a sudden an old memory hit him like a ton of bricks…

*****

Adam had taken his girlfriend to new York,to meet his parents,and he was showing her his old room;"So this is where I grew up,m.j."

"So where did you hide your dirty magazines?"asked she him teasing and sat down on the bed;"Under here?"

"Do I look like the kind of guy that reads dirty magazines?"laughed adam as he moved closer towards her until he was standing right infront of her,looking down;"Do i?"

"You sure do."smiled his girlfriend when adam leaned closer and gently pressed her back on to the bed with his body;"What are you doing,adam?"

"What does it look like?"whispered he into her ear and began to open up her shirt while he kissed her;"We're finally alone."

"Your parents could be home any minute and walk in here."laughed m.j. as she pushed him away a bit;"You're crazy."

"Crazy about you."smiled her boyfriend while he pulled her back into his arms,kissing her again;"My parents won't be home for atleast a couple of hours,m.j."

"Really?"asked she as he was driving her crazy with his hands beneath her clothes and his kisses in her neck and on her face and kissed him back;"Guess we'll have to enjoy ourselves until they get back then."

"Hmmmm."said adam and layed down on top of her….

*******

As adam was caught up in the past he hadn't noticed his sister walking into his room and shaking his arm;"Hey,sleepyhead!"

"What…?"asked he surprised and looked up;"I was just…."

"You were just what?"started Karen curious;"You looked like you were up in heaven with that stupid grin on your face just now,so whatever it was that you were thinking about it must have been some memory."

"It was."answered her brother with a faint smile;"So did you want something,karen?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to come shopping with me?"asked she;"Please?"

"Sure."smiled adam;"Anything for my sister."

It was almost eleven in the morning when sam woke up with a splitting headache again and looked confused around him;"Where the hell am i?"

"Goodmorning."smiled a half-naked girl that came out of the bathroom;"I thought that you were never gonna wake up again."

"Where am I and how did I get here?"asked sam still confused;"Who are you and what did we do?"

"How can you ask me that,lover,don't you remember what happened?"laughed she and sat down on the bed;"Maybe I should refresh your memory."

"This isn't funny."answered he angry and got up with a sheet wrapped around him;"Can you please just answer me?"

"I'm tara and we met at the bar near the beach lastnight."started she slowly;"We hit it off pretty well and one thing lead to another so to speak,sam."

"But I don't remember anything,tara,I don't even remember how I got here or who you are."

"That's probably because you were pretty waisted,but even after all that drinking you were still able to perform pretty well in bed."

"This isn't happening to me!"said sam shocked as he started to pick up his clothes and got dressed;"I'm a married man,tara,whatever happened between us it shouldn't have and it was wrong."

"I know that you're married,sam,but you told me that your wife didn't want you."answered she;"What's so bad about having some fun?"

"I'm married and I have cheated on my wife!"started he angry again;"Maybe this is all just some big joke to you,but it sure isn't to me."

"Relax,sam,I'm not gonna tell your wife and if you don't either she will never find out."

"I'm sorry,but I have to go."said sam still in a state of shock as he opened the frontdoor;"I'm sorry,tara,but this was all a big mistake and it should never have happened."

At mary's place Kathleen was standing behind the counter when ben came in;"Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Somebody has to keep things running downhere."answered Kathleen irritated;"Why weren't you here this morning?"

"I had some things to do and I wanted to stop by the hospital to see dad."started her brother slowly;"Why don't you just tell me what is really going on and why you're so angry,kathleen."

"This whole situation is just driving me crazy,ben,paps is in that hospital fighting for his life and we have no way of reaching our dear,vanished sister."

"So,you're angry at m.j.?"asked he;"What happened to dad isn't her fault."

"Maybe not,but it is her fault that we can't get in touch with her to let her know what has happened."said his sister as she calmed down a bit;"You're right,ben,I'm just blowing off some steam and I feel helpless because there's nothing that I can do."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

At the policestation shane was working when ryan walked into his office;"I just came from the hospital and things aren't looking good for our latest victim,mr. marters."

"Damn!"said shane tired;"I knew that it would only be a matter of time before somebody would get hurt."

"When is adam getting back?"asked his friend as he sat down;"We can use all the help we can get."

"Not until next time,so up untill then it's up to us to try and put a stop to this."

"Have you ever met his ex-fiancee,shane?"

"No,that was before I came to baycity."answered he;"M.j. had already left town when I moved downhere."

"Do you think that he might still have feelings for her?"asked ryan;"Susan seems to think so after the way she saw him looking on his birthday as he was talking about her to her family."

"I don't know,ryan,I really don't."started his friend slowly;"Maybe you should let your sister and adam sort this out by themselves."

Michael Hudson was sitting in his office,talking on the phone,when his wife came in,but he was so caught up in his conversation and turned with his back towards the door that he didn't notice it.

"I want him found right now!"said he to the person on the other end of the line,not knowing that donna heard every word that he was saying;"I want to know every step that regioneld makes!"

"What?"yelled his wife shocked all of a sudden behind him;"Have you lost your mind?"

"I will have to call you back."said Michael surprised to the person on the other end of the line and hung up the phone while he turned around;"How long have you been standing there,donna?"

"Long enough!"answered she angry;"Why do you want to find my father,Michael,hasn't he caused enough problems for us in the past?"

"I only want to keep an eye on him so that I can protect us better!"explained her husband and tried to calm her down;"Please,donna,don't get all worked up."

"How can I not get all worked up,Michael,you know what that man did to me and to our family!"said donna;"You know what will happen if he finds out that you're trying to track him down!"

"Nothing will happen,honey,I promise."answered he as he tried to put his arms around her;"Do you really think that I will let him do anything to you or anybody else?"

"I don't want him back here,Michael,I don't want him back into our lives!"yelled his wife in a state of panic and pushed him away while she ran out of his office;"Leave it alone!"

"Damned!"said Michael tired and went on after her;"Please,donna,wait for me!"

That afternoon mitch walked into his room and was surprised to find his brother there;"What are you doing here,sam,did you have another fight with his wife?"

"Yes,lastnight."answered sam hesitating;"I did something stupid,mitch."

"What did you do?"asked he worried as he sat down;"Tell me."

"Lastnight Amanda and I had another fight and I left to blow off some steam."began his brother hesitating;"I went to this bar near the beach to have a few drinks and to cool down."

"And what happened then,sam,what did you do?"

"I don't really know,mitch,the last thing I remember was sitting in that bar lastnight."said sam;"The next thing I known was waking up this morning in some strange girl's bed named tara."

"Oh,no,please tell me that you didn't sleep with some girl that you have never met before."

"I don't remember it,but I must have."answered his little brother;"What am I suppose to do now,mitch,if Amanda finds out about this it will mean the end of my marriage for sure."

"How could you have been so stupid,sam,didn't I warn you about not doing anything stupid?"

"I didn't mean for this to happen and I don't even remember doing it,but it did and I don't know what to do now."said he;"Should I tell Amanda?"

"No,you can't tell Amanda."warned mitch his brother;"Does tara know your name or address?"

"No,mitch,just my first name I think."answered his brother;"Besides,I already told her that it was all a big mistake and that she won't see me again."

"Good,then you got lucky this time."said he;"Don't tell Amanda and don't go to bars anymore,sam,especially not after a fight with your wife!"

"But wouldn't it be better to tell my wife the truth,mitch,I don't want to lie to her."

"Would you rather hurt her feelings and end your marriage or maybe even hurt your unborn baby?"asked mitch annoyed;"Don't tell your wife or your marriage will be over for sure."

In New York adam had been shopping with his sister for hours when he stopped infront of a coffeehouse;"How about something to drink?"

"Sure."said Karen as they wanted to walk inside when all of a sudden she pulled adam out of the doorway and back out on to the street;"No,wait,why don't we just go home."

"What's the matter with you?"asked her brother irritated and pulled away from her;"I have been walking around for hours and hours with you now,Karen,I want something to drink and carlos told me that this place has the best coffee and that you guys come here all the time."

"You can have something to drink at home and we can come here another time."answered she and tried to pull adam away from the coffeehouse with her;"Let's just go."

"Why?"started adam suspicious as he pulled away from her again;"Is there somebody in there that you don't want to run into or something?"

"Ofcourse not,adam,don't be silly."

"I want to know why you're acting so weird all of a sudden,Karen,tell me!"

"I'm not acting weird at all."answered his sister annoyed;"I just want to go home,adam,please?"

"And I want to go into that coffeehouse to see what's in there that is making you act so weird now."said he as he wanted to walk back towards the door while he was still looking at his sister and didn't see the woman coming out of the coffeehouse and bumped into her,causing her to fall down on to the ground;"Hey,watch it!"

"You watch it,mister,you bumped into me!"started the young woman as she sat there on the ground,looking up a bit angry;"Adam….?"

"M.j….?"asked adam shocked as he stared down at his ex fiancée sitting on the ground;"What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry,m.j."said his sister while she helped her up;"You know what my brother can be like sometimes."

"Yeah,I do."answered she with a faint smile;"I do."

"What the hell are you doing here?"started her ex again in shock when he realized that his sister wasn't surprised or shocked to see m.j. there and that m.j. wasn't surprised to see him there either;"What the hell is going on?"

"I will explain everything on the way home."promised Karen quickly as she pulled adam with her and looked at m.j.;"I will call you later on."

"Okay."said she and began to walk away from them in the opposite direction,using a cain and limping with one leg;"Bye."

"Why is she using that thing?"asked adam stuned as his sister lead him away from the coffeehouse;"How long have you known about m.j. being in new York and what the hell is going on,Karen?"

"All in good time,adam."answered his sister;"I will explain everything when we get home."

Rachel cory was sitting in edwin white's office at the hospital;"So,is it as bad as you thought?"

"Yes,I'm afraid so,Rachel,there's not much that I or any other doctor can do in this stage."answered Edwin slowly;"All I can do for you is give you something for the pain."

"How long do I have left?"asked she softly;"More then a year or less?"

"Probaly six months or even less,Rachel,that's different from one person to the next."said her doctor;"Do you want me to call mack and ask him to pick you up here?"

"No,I don't want him or anybody else to know yet,Edwin!"

"Why not?"asked he surprised;"You're gonna have to talk to your family about this and you're gonna need them to help you through this!"

"I will tell them when I think the time is right."How long will it be before I won't be able to hide it anymore?"

"I don't know,Rachel,it's possible that you will remain in this state for a few months before it gets any worse or your condition could change in a matter of weeks."answered Edwin;"There's no way of telling and all I can do is give you something to keep the pain under control."

In New York Karen just got back to the house with adam and got out of her car;"Look,adam,please keep this to yourself!"

"How can you ask that of me and how could you have kept this from everybody while you damn well knew how upset her family has been about not knowing where m.j. was?"asked her brother angry;"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out that she was here in new York?"

"First of all it was none of your business because you two weren't together anymore and second of all m.j. begged me not to tell anybody,so I didn't."answered Karen;"It's her place to tell people where she is,adam,not mine!"

"You should have told me!"said he still angry as they went into the house;"Her family is worried sick about her!"

"What are you more upset about?"started his sister hesitating;"About the fact that m.j. has been here in new York and I didn't tell you or about the fact that you saw her again after all this time and you're afraid of what it might stir up instead of you?"

"What kind of a stupid question is that?"asked adam stuned;"You're making it sound like i still have a thing for you,Karen,which I don't and as you know I have a girlfriend who I love!"

"Fine,adam,let's just drop it."answered she;"But please just promise me that you aren't gonna call her family and tell them that she's here untill she's ready to let them know."

"Why the hell wouldn't she be ready for that after all this time?"said her brother confused;"Why do I get the feeling that there's a lot that you aren't telling me?"

"If there's anything to be told at all it's m.j.'s place to do so and not mine,adam,but I will ask her to meet us later and then you can talk to her."started Karen slowly;"Okay?"

"Fine."answered he;"I promise not to tell anybody untill I have talked to m.j."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was almost seven that night when Cheryl tried to sneak into the house to get changed when she ran into cass in the kitchen;"Hello,Cheryl,I have been waiting for you."

"What are you doing here?"asked she irritated;"Can't you leave me alone?"

"No,I can't."answered her brother-in-law;"I want to know what is going on with you."

"There is nothing going on with me!"said Cheryl;"Nothing!"

"Then why are you acting so strange lately and why are you trying to avoid everybody?"asked cass;"Come on,Cheryl,you can tell me anything!"

"No,cass,I can't tell you or anybody else about this!"whispered she all of a sudden and started to cry;"Nobody!"

"You can tell me,honey,does it have something to do with what happened to your father?"

"It's my fault!"answered his sister-in-law in tears;"It's my fault that he's laying there in that hospital and that he's fighting for his life!"

"Come on,Cheryl,how could that be your fault?"asked cass surprised;"It's nobody's fault,honey,these things happen."

"It is my fault,cass,because the day before paps had a heartattack I was with him in the kitchen at mary's place and he got all dizzy and almost fell down."began she softly;"I wanted to tell mama,but he made me promise not to tell anybody and he said that he'd go see a doctor for a check-up."  
"But you couldn't have known that he was gonna have a heartattack the next day."said her brother-in-law;"What happened isn't your fault!"

"I should have told mama or Kathleen about what had happened to paps in the kitchen and they could have brought him to see a doctor!"answered she;"Then he wouldn't be laying in the hospital right now."

"Even if you had told your mother or Kathleen then it wouldn't have changed a thing,because your father kept refusing to see a doctor,honey,no matter what anybody else said."started cass as he put his arms around her for comfort;"This wasn't your fault and you shouldn't blame yourself!"

In new York adam was walking towards the park with his sister;"I still think her family should know about her being here right away."

"I know that you're still angry,adam,but please just hear m.j. out before you start yelling at her!"warned Karen him;"She's been through enough!"

"Like I start yelling at people for no reason."answered he annoyed;"I still can't believe that you kept something like this from me!"

"It was m.j.'s decision if and when she was gonna let people know where she was and not mine,adam,so I promised her that I wouldn't tell anybody and I didn't think that you'd care anyway."said his sister and saw m.j. sitting on a bench right infront of them;"Hi,m.j."

"Hi."started she uncomfortable and looked at adam;"Thanks for agreeing to meet me and hear me out instead of calling my family right away."

"I wanted to call them,but Karen convinced me to talk to you first."answered adam;"So,start talking."

"I will let you two sort this out by yourselves now."said his sister as she turned around;"Call me when you need a ride home,adam."

"Please don't be angry at your sister because she was only doing what I had asked her to do,adam."began m.j. slowly after Karen had left;"This isn't her fault."

"Why don't you want your family to know where you are?"asked he;"Do you have any idea how worried they are?"

"I almost went back a few months ago,but something got in the way."answered his ex-fiancee hesitating;"I am going to go back home again,but not just yet."

"But why not now?"started adam confused;"And what's with your leg,m.j.,why are you limping and walking with a cain?"

"I'm just not ready to back yet,adam."said she softly and looked at her cain;"And that's just a left-over from a little accident that I had."

"I still don't understand any of this,but since it seems to mean so much to you and it's really none of my business as my sister made pretty clear to me earlier I will keep quiet for a little while longer."promised her ex-fiancee;"But not for too long."

"Ofcourse not."smiled m.j. sadly;"Thanks,adam."

Kathleen was waiting for her husband to come back from her parents' house when he finally came in;"So,did you talk to cheryl?"

"Yes,I did."answered cass and sat down next to her;"I had a really good talk with her."

"So?"asked his wife curious;"What did she say,cass,did you find out what's going on with her?"

"Yes,I did."started he slowly;"It seems that the day before vince had a heartattack he got dizzy while Cheryl was with him and he made her promise not to tell anybody about it,but now she was feeling guilty because she got it into her head that if she'd told somebody that he wouldn't have had that heartattack."

"But that's silly and it was paps' own choice not to see a doctor,cass,mama has been trying to get him to see a doctor for a while before his heartattack,but he just wouldn't listen to her."

"I know and that's what I told your sister too,Kathleen,so I think that it made her feel less guilty about what happened."

"It's a good thing that you went."smiled Kathleen as she put her arms around cass' neck and kissed him;"You're the best."

"I guess I am."laughed he and kissed her back;"And I'm all yours."

At the cory's Amanda was sitting outside,staring infront of her,when sam suddenly sat down next to her on the bench;"I'm sorry,Amanda,I'm the biggest jerk there is."

"Why do we keep doing this lately,sam?"asked she softly and turned towards him;"All we seem to be able to do is fight and making eachother sad lately."

"That's not the way that I want things to be between us,Amanda,I love you and all I want is to make you happy!"answered her husband;"I love you more then anything else in this world and I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"I love you too,sam,I know that I haven't been that nice to you lately and that I have been pushing you away,but that's not the way that I want it to be!"

"I know that,baby,I should be more patient with you now that you're pregnant and I promise you that I will be from now on."said sam as he kissed her gently;"I love you!"

"I'm really lucky to have you,sam."smiled his wife and kissed him back;"When you didn't come home lastnight and you didn't call or anything I got really worried,sam,I started thinking about what I would do if I were to lose you and that really scared me."

"I'm sorry,Amanda,I fell asleep on the couch at mitch's place."answered he lying;"I will never scare you like that again,honey,I promise."

"Let's go to bed,sam."said Amanda suddenly as she got up and pulled sam with her;"Let's go upstairs."

"Are you sure?"asked her husband surprised;"I don't want you to do anything that you don't really want to do!"

"Does this feel like I'm not sure."whispered she into his ear and kissed him passionly;"Well?"

"Upstairs it is then."laughed sam and lifted her up into his arms while he walked back inside;"I've missed you,Amanda."

Two days later Michael was up really early,hoping to catch his wife before she was able to leave the house because eversince she'd walked in on him at his office she'd been avoiding him and making sure that there was always somebody around so that he couldn't talk to her.

"Wait a minute,donna."said Michael and grabbed her arm as she was about to sneak out of the house again;"We have to talk!"

"No,we don't!"answered she annoyed;"I have to go!"

"At six a.m.?"smiled her husband teasing;"Come on,donna,you can't keep avoiding me forever."

"What's there to talk about,Michael,there's nothing that you can say or do that's gonna change the fact that you're putting our lives in danger!"

"For the last time,donna,your father wouldn't dare to show his face downhere."answered Michael tired;"I only wanted to see where he was so that I can keep an eye on him."

"I just don't want to see his face here ever again,Michael,have you forgotten what happened last time he was in town?"asked his wife softly;"I almost lost you and our daughters."

"I know that and I wouldn't let him do anything to us this time even if he did come back again,honey."said he and put his arms around her;"Regioneld will never hurt you or anybody else in this family again,blackie,I'd rather kill him before I would let him do that again!"

In new York adam was watching his sister and his mother getting things ready for the wedding;"Aren't you guys ready yet?"

"No,are you ready?"asked his mother looking up;"If you are then you can go and see if your father needs any help with his tie in the bedroom."

"I don't need any help with my tie!"said her husband as he came into the livingroom;"When is carlos gonna be here?"

"He isn't."answered Karen;"We're going to meet him at the church with his family in a little while."

"I'm going for a walk."said adam as he turned around and walked towards the frontdoor;"I'll be right back."

"Don't be late!"warned his mother him and turned towards her daughter after adam had left;"What is going on with your brother,Karen,he's been looking pretty upset these last few days."

"Maybe it's because of the wedding,mom,it must be hard for him being here so close to his own messed-up weddingday two years ago."started she lying;"Maybe we should leave him alone a bit."

"Karen is right,honey,if adam wants to talk about this he will and else we will have to respect that."answered her father;"Let's get ready for this wedding and I'm sure that adam will be back soon enough."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

At the hospital mary was laying with her head on vince's bed,holding his hand and still sleeping,when Jamie walked in and woke her up;"Goodmorning,mary,did you stay here all night?"

"I didn't want to leave him alone."answered she softly;"How is he doing?"

"A bit better."started Jamie slowly;"His condition is slowly improving and if this keeps up he might be out of danger in a few days."

"When will he wake up again?"asked his patient's wife still worried;"He will wake up again,won't he?"

"Ofcourse he will,mary,but I can't you when that will be."

"I still can't believe that I almost lost him,Jamie,he's a difficult man to live with,but I wouldn't want it any other way."

"He's a strong man and we're gonna do whatever we can to pull him through this."promised the young doctor;"That's why you need to go home right now to get some rest because he's gonna need you when he wakes up again and you won't be able to help him if you're sick yourself."

"Maybe you're right."answered mary;"Maybe I should go home for a few hours,jamie,but what if he wakes up?"

"Then I will make sure that the nurses here call you."said he as he walked out of the room with mary;"Don't worry,mary,as soon as vince wakes up you will get a call right away."

Rachel and mack were just having breakfast when Amanda walked in with sam;"Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning,strangers."laughed her father;"We were about to call the police and report you two missing."

"Very funny,dad,hahaha."smiled Amanda and sat down at the breakfast-table;"We felt like staying in bed yesterday."

"Really?"asked he teasing;"Were you two that tired?"

"Don't mind your father."said his wife looking up;"I'm glad that you two have finally decided to work things out instead of fighting all the time."

"So am i."answered sam and kissed his wife gently before he sat down;"We both are."

"Are you coming to work today,Amanda?""asked his father-in-law;"Your new assistant is starting today and I would like it if you were there to welcome here at brava."

"Ofcourse,dad,I'm coming in for work today."said she;"What time is she coming?"

"Just before lunch I think."answered mack as he got up;"I'm going to work and I will see you all later on."

"Bye,honey."smiled his wife while mack kissed her goodbye and walked off;"See you at lunch."

"Are you okay,mom?"asked Amanda all of a sudden when she took a close look at her mother;"You don't look so good."

"I'm fine."answered she lying;"I'm just fine."

Around lunchtime it was pretty crowded at tops when Vicky and marlee came out of the elevator;"Are you sure that you want to have lunch here?

"Ofcourse I am."answered marlee surprised;"Where did you want to have lunch then?"

"At mary's place."said her twin;"It looks pretty crowded here,marlee."

"What's going on with you lately?"asked she annoyed;"Why do you suddenly want to lunch at mary's place so much lately,Vicky,is there something that you aren't telling me?"

"Ofcourse not."answered Vicky lying;"It was just a suggestion,marlee,that's all."

"Hello,girls."smiled felica as she came towards them;"A table for two?"

"Yes,felica,please."said marlee and followed her to a table with her sister;"Things seem to be going pretty well downhere,aren't they?"

"I can't complain."laughed she and turned towards Vicky;"Was that jake that I saw you with at the beach lastnight?"

"No,I wasn't at the beach lastnight."said Vicky quickly as to avoid marlee's look;"Why would I be on the beach with jake ?"

"That's what I'd like to know too!"answered her twin-sister and stared angry at Vicky;"Is jake the reason why you keep wanting to go to mary's place,Vicky,are you seeing jake?"

"Yes,I am."started she suddenly angry too;"I'm sick and tired of having the hide the fact that I'm seeing jake and I'm not going to anymore."

"How can you do that?"asked marlee shocked;"How can you see jake when you know what he did to me,Vicky?"

"Not everything is about you,marlee,I know what jake did to you,but he has changed and I love him!"answered her twinsister softly;"Jake isn't the same guy that he was when he was with you!"

"I don't care!"yelled she furious and ran towards the elevators;"How can you do that to me?"

At the hospital susan was walking towards her office when she ran into Jamie,who was talking to Kathleen;"Hey,guys."

"Hi,susan."said Kathleen and turned back towards Jamie before she walked away;"Call me if there's any change."

"Ofcourse."answered her friend as he looked at susan after Kathleen had left;"Where are you off to,susan?"

"Back to my office.'started she hesitating;"What was that with Kathleen all about?"

"Her father's in the hospital after he had a heartattack."said Jamie;"He's still not out of the woods and they're all very worried."

"Does adam know about this,jamie,did anybody tell him?"

"I don't know,susan,I don't think so."answered the young doctor slowly;"Are you going to tell him?"

"Do you think that he would want to know about this?"asked susan;"They almost were family a few years ago."

"Yes,I think that he would want to know because the 's still mean a lot to adam."started the young doctor softly;'Maybe you should call him in new York and tell him."

"Maybe I should."answered she and looked at her watch;"But I can't tell him today on his sister's weddingday,so I will call him tomorrow and tell him about what has happened."

Mitch was having lunch at tops with sam;"So does this mean that everything is okay between you and Amanda again?"

"I think so."smiled his brother happy;"We talked a lot about what has been going on lately,mitch."

"Did you tell her about your mistake?"asked he;"Did you tell her about that?"

"Ofcourse I didn't because if she knew then she would divorce me right away."

"That is why you must make sure that she never finds out!"warned mitch him;"You won't help Amanda by telling her,sam,it happened and telling your wife won't change anything and it will only hurt her."

"If it's up to me Amanda will never find out about my one-night stand and it's not like I wanted to cheat on her."said he slowly;"I don't even remember doing it."

"Well,I'm glad you two have worked things out and that everything is allright again,sam."

"So am i."answered sam;"I love my wife and I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost her."

"As long as she doesn't know then you won't lose her."started his brother with a faint smile;"Where is your wife anyway?"

"She's having lunch with mack and her new secretary at brava."

"Since when does Amanda need a secretary?"asked mitch surprised;"I thought that all she did at brava was checking out the lay-out for the magazine,sam."

"Mack is giving her more responsibility since both Jamie and Mathew don't want to follow into mack's footsteps,so that one day she can take over from him."said he;"Amanda just loves it,because she's got it in her blood just like her father."

"Well,you just make sure that your wife finds out nothing about your mistake and you two will lead a happy life together."warned his brother him again;"Just remember that telling her will only hurt her,sam,remember that if you ever start feeling guilty."

Jake was standing in the kitchen at mary's place when Vicky came running in through the backdoor,looking really upset;"Hey,Vicky,what's wrong?"

"Marlee knows."said she almost in tears;"She knows about us."

"How did she find out?"asked her boyfriend surprised;"What did she say?"

"We were at tops for lunch when felica said that she'd seen us at the beach lastnight and marlee got really angry at me."answered Vicky;"She kept asking me how I could have done that to her,jake."

"She was probably just shocked,Vicky."started he slowly and put his arms around her as he gently kissed her;"I'm sure that things will be okay once she has calmed down."

"I hope so,jake,I really do."smiled his girlfriend sadly and looked up surprised when all of a sudden her father stormed in;"Michael?"

"I thought that marlee was wrong when she called me to tell me about you two,but I can see now that she was right!"answered Michael angry while he grabbed jake's shirt and pulled him away from Vicky;"Wasn't it enough that you hurt marlee really bad,jake,do you have to hurt my other daughter too?"

"He isn't going to hurt me,Michael!"said daughter shocked by the way that her father was acting and got in between jake and michael;"He isn't the same guy that he was when he was with marlee."

"Don't be a fool!"yelled he to his daughter and turned towards jake again;"I'm warning you,jake ,if you don't stay away from my daughter…!"  
"I love your daughter!"answered jake;"I want to be with her and nothing that you can say or do will make me change my mind!"

"Oh,no?"asked his girlfriend's father and wanted to grab jake again;"Do you wanna bet?"

"Leave him alone,Michael!"warned Vicky him angry too;"I love jake and he loves me too,so I don't want him to stay away!"

"How can you say that when you know what he did to marlee?"started he,calming down a bit;"How can you even stand to be around him?"

"Because I love him and I need him just as much as he needs me."answered his daughter and lay her head against jake's shoulder;"Jake would never do anything to hurt me,so I'm going to keep seeing him no matter what you or anybody else says."

"Fine!"said Michael as he walked out of the kitchen;"We will talk about this when you get home!"

"Hey,don't worry about it,baby,it'll all be okay again."promised jake after Michael had left and held Vicky close to him;"If you want to you can stay at my place."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13.

That afternoon in new York adam was sitting at the bar of the hotel where his sister and carlos were having their weddingdinner,reception and party afterwards when his sister sat down next to him;"So,Karen,how does it feel to be married?"

"The same as before."laughed she;"How are you doing?"

"Fine."answered her brother;"It was a beautyfull wedding,Karen,I'm really happy for you."

"It will happen for you one day too,adam."started Karen slowly;"There's something that I haven't told you yet."

"What's that?"asked he surprised when he saw the guilty look in karen's eyes;"What did you do?"

"Please,don't be mad at me,adam,but I have asked m.j. to come tonight."answered his sister;"Since you already know that she's here and I already wanted her to come tonight but couldn't because you didn't know before I thought I might as well ask her and I thought it would be a good place for you two to start acting normal around eachother again and maybe even work things out."

"How could you have done that?"began adam angry;"There is nothing to work out,Karen,she's my ex and I'm with susan now."

"But that doesn't mean that there aren't some unfinished business between the two of you."said she;"Please,adam,if she were to come tonight then be nice to her because I wasn't joking when I said that she has been through a lot and I think it might help the both of you."

"Okay,I'll be nice."promised her brother;"But only because it's your weddingday and I don't wanna mess that up."

Shane was working in his office with ryan when Nicole walked in;"Hi,guys,are you busy?"

"Yes,we are."answered shane looking up;"Did I forget that we were suppose to see eachother or something?"

"No,shane,can't a girl just drop by to see her guy?"asked his girlfriend annoyed;"That's the last time I'm gonna do something like this again."

"Wait!"said he and quickly stopped her when she wanted to leave;"I'm sorry."

"I suddenly thought of something that I have to do right away."smiled ryan as he quickly left the office;"Be nice to eachother,kids!"

"Hey,come here."started his friend slowly as he pulled Nicole on to his lap after ryan had left the office;"I am happy to see you,baby."

"I only wanted to do something nice,shane."said she and put her arms around his neck;"That's all."

"And I shouldn't have acted like a jerk."answered shane and kissed her;"I'm sorry."

At the hudson's Michael and donna were sitting in the livingroom,talking about jake and Vicky;"I still can't understand how Vicky can keep seeing jake when she knows what he did to her sister,donna."

"Maybe she's really in love,Michael,she was in love with him before marlee even came into the picture and maybe she has never stopped loving him."answered his wife slowly;"Besides,maybe Victoria is right about jake?"

"What are you saying?"asked he angry;"Are you telling me that you don't mind Vicky seeing him?"

"I'm just saying that if Victoria is really in love with him then you can talk all you want to her about it,but that won't stop her from wanting to see him."started donna softly;"My father hated the idea of me seeing you,but that didn't stop us,Michael,did it?"

"That's different."said her husband;"I wanted to kill jake when I saw him at mary's place with his hands around our daughter,donna,first he hurts marlee and now he wants to do the same thing to Vicky."

"You don't know that,Michael,you don't know if jake wants to hurt Victoria as well."said she;"I'm not thrilled about Victoria seeing jake either,but if we keep putting our foot down about this it will only drive her into his arms even more."

"What do you suggest that we do then,donna,just wait until he hurts her too?"

"No,ofcourse not,Michael,but maybe we can just let her lead her own life and stop trying to tell her what she can or can't do!"

"I don't want her seeing jake!"answered Michael angry;"As soon as she gets home I'm gonna tell her that!"

That night in new York Karen was dancing with her brother when she saw m.j. sitting alone in a corner;"Why don't you go and talk to m.j.?"

"Why do you wanna push us towards eachother?"asked adam irritated;"If this is some stupid way for you to try and get us back together again you can just forget about it because I already have susan in my life now."

"I just want you to do something nice for her,adam,that's all."answered his sister;"I don't know what really happened between the two of you years ago on your weddingday or why you guys really broke up,but m.j. could use a nice break for a change after what she's been through and all I'm asking is for you to go overthere and talk to her."

"You keep saying that,Karen,you keep talking about her being through a lot and all,but I wish that you'd explain to me what that means."started he slowly;"What happened to her that was so terrible,Karen,does it have something to do with that little accident that she told me about?"

"I'm not the one who can answer that,adam,it isn't up to me."said Karen hesitating;"Please,adam,just be nice to her and for one evening forget about whatever happened between the two of you."

"Okay,your wish is my command."answered her brother with a faint smile when carlos came up to them;"Enjoy this dance."

"Thanks,adam."smiled she and was happy when she saw her brother walking towards his ex-fiancee.

"Hey."said adam as he sat down next to m.j. in the corner;"Can I get you something to drink?"

"No,still got some soda,adam,thanks anyway."answered his ex looking up with a faint smile;"Karen send you downhere to sit with me,didn't she?"

"Yeah,she did,but I don't mind."started he quickly;"I really don't."

"Are you really okay with me being here tonight?"asked m.j. hesitating;"Karen really wanted me to come tonight and she was so happy when she was able to invite me once you knew about me being in new York,but I wasn't sure if I should with the way that things were between us when I left baycity."

"I'm fine with you being here and what happened between us was a long time ago."said her ex-fiancee and just sitting there with her made him feel happy in a strange way;"I'm glad you came."

At the hospital Ben was walking towards the coffeemachine to get something to drink for him and his mother when he saw his little sister in the hallway;"Hey,Cheryl."

"Hi,ben."said she hesitating;"What are you doing here?"

"I just came to get me and mom something to drink."answered ben;"I'm glad you came to see dad."

"How is he doing,ben?"asked his sister worried;"He's gonna be okay,isn't he?"

"Well,he isn't out of the woods yet,but the doctors say that it's starting to look better everyday."said he as they walked towards vince's room;"Mom will be glad to see you."

"What took you so long?"asked mary when they came into the room and was surprised to see Cheryl there when she turned around;"Cheryl?"

"Hi,mama."answered her daughter softly;"I came to see how paps was doing."

"I'm glad that you're here,sweetheart."smiled she and pulled Cheryl into her arms;"So will your father when he wakes up again."

Vicky was sitting on jake's couch when he came out of the kitchen with something to drink;"Do you want to stay here?"

"Yes,I don't wanna go home and listen to my family going on and on about why I should stop seeing you."answered his girlfriend tired;"I don't want to hear that!"

"Do you want me to talk to them and try to make them see our point of view?"

"No,that wouldn't work anyway because they blame you for everything and they won't believe that you've changed,jake."

"I'm sorry,Vicky,this is all my fault."started he suddenly as he sat down next to her;"Maybe we never should have gotten involved because this is only causing you a lot of pain and I don't wanna cause you anymore pain."

"I don't ever want to hear you say that again,jake !"warned Vicky him angry;"I'm not sorry that I got involved with you again and I don't care what my family or anybody else thinks because I love you and I want to be with you!"

"I love you too,baby,but I can't stand it to see you hurting like this because of me."

"This isn't your fault,jake,my family is just going to have to get used to us!"smiled his girlfriend and kissed him gently;"You didn't really think that I was gonna let you go,did you?"

"You're crazy,Vicky."laughed jake as he kissed her back;"I don't know what I'd do without you."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

In new York adam was just walking into the hotelgarden for some fresh air after he'd been drinking a bit too much all evening when he saw m.j. sitting on a bench all alone;"Hey,what are you doing here all alone?"

"I could ask you the same thing."said she looking up;"I just came outhere for some fresh air."

"Have you been crying?"asked adam suddenly worried when he saw the tears in her eyes;"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."answered his ex-fiancee softly as she turned her head away;"I'm fine,adam."

"No,you're not."started he slowly and gently wiped away the tears with the back of his hand;"I know you better then that,remember?"

"I remember."said m.j. with a sad look in her eyes as she looked at him;"I…"

"Ssst!"began her ex-fiancee as he felt like there was nobody else in the whole world except for the two of them at that moment and he stared into her eyes while she stared right back,not being able to move,and then he suddenly felt such a strong desire to kiss her.

Without thinking about it adam leaned forwards and kissed m.j. as if it was the most natural thing to do and after her first shocked look at him she put her arms around him and kissed him back.

"I…."whispered she stuned after what seemed like an eternity and pushed him away with a guilty look on her face;"No,this is wrong!"

"You're right and I'm sorry."answered adam as shocked as she was about what had happened;"I don't know what came over me."

"I…."started his ex fiancée softly as she got up and began to walk away;"I have to go,adam."

"Please don't go because of me."said he feeling guilty as he followed her;"Please stay,m.j."

"It's got nothing to do with you."answered m.j. and got into the first cab that she saw infront of the hotel;"I just have to go."

"M.j….."began her ex confused as he watched the cab drive off with m.j, in it;"Damned!"

"Where's m.j.?"asked Karen when adam came back into the ballroom of the hotel;"You were both just outside,weren't you?"

"She just left in a cab."said he hesitating;"I just did something really stupid."

"So what's new?"answered his sister sarcasticly;"Please tell me that you didn't pick a fight with her."

"No,I kissed her."said adam;"I didn't mean to and it's not like I planned it or anything,karen,but we were sitting there and she looked so…."

"You did what?"asked she shocked as well as furious;"How could you have done that?"

"It just happened,Karen,I didn't plan it or anything and she did kiss me back!"

"That wasn't what I meant when I asked you to be nice to her,adam,i didn't want you to make things worse for her!"answered Karen still angry as she walked away;"I'm gonna call her to see if she's okay."

The next morning Amanda and sam were still laying in bed when Amanda tried to get up,but got pulled back into bed by her husband;"I have to get up,sam!"

"What for?"asked he and pulled her on top of him;"Can't we both take the day off and stay here all day long?"

"No,I have to go to work and so do you."answered his wife as she tried to get up again;"Let go off me,sam."

"You're no fun."smiled sam while he let her get up;"How is your new secretary?"

"She seems pretty good at her job so far and she's also really nice,sam."

"What's her name?"asked he as he got out of bed too;"Anybody that we know?"

"No,I don't think so."said Amanda and walked into the bathroom;"Her name is tara Anderson."

"Tara?"started sam slowly and thought back at the girl that he'd slept with,who's name had also been tara;"Oh."

"What's up with you,sam?"asked his wife as she came out of the bathroom and saw standing in the middle of the room with a strange look on his face;"You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"Nothing."answered he lying;"I'm just a bit tired,honey,that's all."

"That's what you get for keeping me up all night."laughed Amanda and wanted to put her arms around sam,but before she got a change he walked into the bathroom;"Sam?"

"What?"asked he from inside the bathroom;"Did you say something?"

"Are you sure that you're okay?"started his wife worried and walked into the bathroom as well;"You're acting really strange all of a sudden,sam,are you angry at me for not wanting to stay in bed with you or something?"

"No,ofcourse not,"answered sam and forced a smile on his face while he kissed her gently;"I'm just tired,honey,that's all."

At the Hudson's donna was having breakfast when marlee walked in;"Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning."said her mother looking up;"How did you sleep?"

"Okay."answered marlee as she sat down;"Did Vicky come home yet?"

"No,not yet,honey,but I'm sure she's okay and that she probably spend the night at jake's."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come down so hard on her for seeing jake,but it's just that I was shocked when I found out,donna."

"Nobody blames you for getting upset when you found out,marlee,i'm sure that Victoria understands too."said she;"Jake really hurt you and it's only natural that you would feel betrayed by your sister when you found out about their relationship."

"I can't understand how she can keep seeing him while she knows what he did to me."answered her daughter softly;"But I didn't mean to drive her away,donna."

"I'm sure that she will come back again once things have settled down again,marlee."started donna slowly;"As long as your father doesn't go making things worse again."

"What did he do then?"asked she worried;"Do you think that I made a mistake by calling him after I found out?"

"No,ofcourse not,sweety,he would have found out anyway."said her mother;"Michael went to mary's place after you called us and warned jake to stay away from Victoria right infront of her."

"I wish that I'd never found out about this,donna,I hate this!"

"I know you do,but maybe we will all learn to deal with it."answered donna softly;"We will have no choice if your sister is really serious about jake ."

In new York Karen had just stopped by her parents' house with her new husband,to say goodbye before they went on their honeymoon;"Goodmorning,guys,where's adam?"

"He's in his room,talking to his girlfriend on the phone."answered her mother;"Ready for your honeymoon?"

"We sure are."smiled Karen when adam came rushing into the livingroom;"Hi,adam."

"What is her phonenumber?"asked he;"Give it to me!"

"Goodmorning to you too."said his brother-in-law teasing;"You look like you've had a rough night."

"This isn't some kind of joke!"answered adam annoyed and looked at Karen;"I really need her phonenumber,karen!"

"To do what?"asked she annoyed as well;"Haven't you done enough lastnight,adam,do you have any idea how upset she sounded when I talked to her on the phone lastnight?"

"Who,adam,what happened lastnight?"started their father confused;"What's going on,guys?"

"I really need her number right now,Karen,I have to get in touch with her because I have to tell her that her father is in the hospital after having a serious heartattack."said he and tried to stay calm;"Susan just called me with the news that Jamie had told her about vince's heartattack and she said that he could still die because he's not out of the woods yet."

"Oh,my god,that is terrible."answered Karen shocked and grabbed her phone;"I will call her."

"Don't tell her over the phone."warned her brother her;"Ask her to come downhere or something,karen,so that I can tell her about her father."

"Why do you want to tell her?"started she suspicious;"Does this have anything to do with what you did lastnight?"

"No,ofcourse not."said adam irritated;"But if I hadn't ended things the way that I did between us two years ago then she'd probably be at home with her family right now."

"Okay,I will call her and ask her to come downhere."promised his sister as she walked away to make the call.

"Would somebody please just tell us what's going on?"asked Nathan cory;"Adam?"

"Just sit down and I'll explain everything while Karen is on the phone."answered he when Karen came into the livingroom again;"That was quick."

"I got her voicemail and asked her to call me right away as soon as she gets the message."said his sister and turned towards her husband;"Would you mind it very much if we went on our honeymoon a few hours later?"

"No,ofcourse not."said carlos as he pulled his wife into his arms and turned towards his brother-in-law;"Well,we're all waiting for you to explain everything."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It was almost noon when Rachel came out of edwin's office at the hospital just as her son walked by;"Mom?"

"Hi,honey."said she and tried to look less caught then she was feeling;"Why aren't you out to lunch?"

"I was just on my way to the lunchroom across the street."answered Jamie and was surprised to see his mother coming out of edwin's office;"What are you doing here,mom,are you sick?"

"No,ofcourse not,honey,I was just here for a check-up."

"Are you sure that you're not sick or anything,mom,why are you have a check-up all of a sudden?"

"With everything that has been going on with vince I thought that it was time for a check-up."answered his mother lying;"That's all."

"Maybe you're right."started Jamie still not convinced;"Where's mack,mom,didn't he come with you?"

"No,jamie,he had a meeting at brava that was really important."

"So?"asked he worried;"What did Edwin say?"

"That I'm just fine."said his mother and hoped that her son couldn't see through her lies;"Why don't you let me buy you lunch today?"

"That sounds great."smiled Jamie as they began to walk towards the elevators;"Let's go."

At jake's place Vicky was just watching some television when the doorbell rang and after she'd opened the door she saw her aunt standing there;"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet your aunt?"asked Nicole laughing and followed her niece into the livingroom;"I only came to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine,Nicole."said her niece;"Did donna or Michael send you?"

"Nobody send me."answered she;"But they are all pretty worried about you."

"So?"started Vicky a bit angry;"If they hadn't reacted so weird about my relationship with jake then I wouldn't be here right now and they wouldn't have to worry about me."

"You knew how they'd react if they were to find out about that,Vicky,so it can't really be such a surprise to you."answered her aunt;"You can't really blame them for reacting this way after all of the things that jake has done in the past."

"If you're here to talk bad about jake then you can leave right now!"

"Hey,I'm on your side here,Vicky,I only said that you can't blame them for reacting the way that they did,but I didn't say that I felt the same way."

"I really love jake and I know that he loves me too,Nicole,he isn't the same guy that he was when he was with marlee and he would never do anything to hurt me."said Vicky softly;"Why can't they just try to understand that?"

"They will,honey,if you just give them some time."answered she;"Just let this rest for a little while and maybe then you can all sit down to sort this out."

At the hospital mary was sitting next to vince's bed when he suddenly opened his eyes;"Mary…?"

"You're awake."smiled she and pushed the nurses-button right away;"Everything's gonna be okay again."

"My chest…"started vince almost whispering;"It hurts…"

"I know,sweety,but the nurse can give you something for that."answered his girlfriend and kissed him gently;"The most important thing now is that you're awake again."

"I…."tried he again and started falling back to sleep;"I…"

"Ssst,don't try to talk."warned mary him;"Just go back to sleep and I'll be right here by your side."

"Is everything allright in here?"asked the nurse who came rushing into the room;"Did you press the button,mrs. ?"

"Yes,I wanted to let you know that mr. was awake just now."said she looking up;"But he went back to sleep again."

"Okay,I will let doctor frame know."answered the nurse and walked away again.

In new York m.j. had just arrived at the cory's and was looking uncomfortable around her;"Why did you want me to come here,adam,your sister said that you had something important to tell me."

"I do."began he slowly and sat down next to her;"This morning I heard that your father's had a serious heartattack and that he's been at the hospital since Monday."

"Paps?"asked m.j. shocked;"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know,but it seems he isn't out of the woods yet."answered her ex-fiancee and put his hand on tops of hers;"Are you okay?"

"Ofcourse she isn't okay!"said Karen irritated as she sat down next to m.j. on the other side of the couch;"Can I get you something to drink,m.j.?"

"No,I have to go overthere!"started she in a panic and got up;"I have to go home."

"You're not going anywhere in that state of mind!"answered adam worried as he got up too;"If there's anything that I can do for you."

"There is."said his sister before m.j. had a chance to say anything;"You can fly back to baycity with her to make sure she gets home safe and sound,adam."

"What?"asked he stuned;"Why don't you go with her if you're that worried?"

"She can't because she has to go on a honeymoon with me in about an hour."said carlos;"I think that it's a great idea that you go back home with m.j. and help her to get home safe and sound."

"No,adam doesn't have to babysit me,because I can take care of myself!"answered m.j. irritated;"I can fly home by myself."

"They are right,m.j."began her ex with a faint smile;"Besides I was going to go home in a few days anyway,so all I'm doing is go back a few couple of days early and that way everybody is happy."

"You don't have to do this!"said she softly;"I can do this by myself!"

"I want to do this!"answered adam hesitating;"Your family as well as mine would never forgive me if I let you go all by yourself in this state."

That afternoon mitch was talking to felica at tops when his brother came up to him;"I need to talk to you."

"Can't you see that I'm busy?"asked mitch irritated as he turned around;"Shouldn't you be with your wife or something?"

"She's at work."answered his brother;"I really need to talk to you,mitch,I'm not joking."

"It's okay,mitch,just go and talk to your brother."laughed felica as she began to walk away;"I have to make a few phonecalls anyway."

"Allright then."said he and sat down with his brother;"What was so important that you had to come and talk to me about it?"

"Amanda told me the name of her secretary this morning and I almost felt my heart skipping a few beats."started sam slowly;"Her name is tara."

"So?"asked his brother surprised;"There will probably be more girls named tara in this world,sam,that doesn't mean that your wife's secretary is the same girl that you slept with."

"But what if it is the same girl,mitch,what then?"

"Come on,sam,what are the odds of that?"laughed he;"You're just seeing things,sam,just forget about what happened and go on with your life."

At the hudson's donna was playing with her youngest daughter,kristy,when her sister came into the nursery;"Hello,Nicole,what brings you downhere?"

"I came to see how you were all doing."said her sister;"I talked to Vicky earlier."

"How was she?"asked donna worried;"What did she say,nicole?"

"She's upset ofcourse."answered she;"She really seems to love him,donna,I don't think that this is just a fase or something."

"I didn't think that it was just a fase,Nicole,I don't doubt that her feelings for him are real and I think that she's never stopped loving him after they broke up the first time."started her sister slowly;"But I'm just worried that he will hurt her like he's hurt marlee before."

"But what if she's right about jake being a changed man,donna?asked Nicole hesitating;"Would you be able to accept their relationship?"

"I want to because I'm the last person that's got a right to judge anybody else after all the things that I have done in my life."answered she tired;"But I just don't want to see Victoria get hurt."

"Maybe you should tell your daughter how you feel,donna,instead of me."said her sister;"I think that she'd be happy to hear that."

Rachel was laying on bed with her eyes closed when her daughter came in;"Mom?"

"Hello,honey."said she and opened her eyes;"What can I do for you?"

"Is everything okay,mom?"asked Amanda worried;"Why are you laying in bed?"

"I just had a bit of a headache,Amanda,that's all."answered her mother lying;"Everything's fine."

"This is all my fault,mom,all this fighting between me and sam must have been pretty terrible for you and dad."

"My headache isn't your fault at all,honey,people can get a headache without it being anybody's fault."

"Maybe you should see a doctor or something."started she still worried;"You haven't looking so good lately,mom."

"Thanks for the compliment,Amanda."said Rachel teasing with a faint smile;"I don't have to see a doctor,honey,it's just a headache."

"Are you sure,mom?"asked her daughter;"You would tell me if there was something wrong,wouldn't you?"

"Ofcourse I would."answered she lying again;"There is nothing wrong with me,honey,so don't look so worried."

Later that evening adam arrived at the baycity-airport with m.j. and after checking out their bags they walked outside of the building;"Home sweet home."

"You really didn't have to do this,adam."said m.j. a bit uncomfortable and not sure how to act around her ex-fiancee;"I could have done this by myself."

"Karen wouldn't have forgiven me if I'd let you go home all by yourself."answered he and not sure how to act around m.j. either;"Besides,I didn't mind."

"Do you feel as uncomfortable about being here together as I am?"started his ex-fiancee with a faint smile;"We haven't seen eachother for almost two years and neither of us know what to say to eachother."

"I know."began adam hesitating as he took m.j.'s hand into his and wished they weren't standing at a crowded airport;"Look,about what happened at karen's wedding…"

"Adam…?"asked a voice behind them before m.j. had a chance to answer adam and when they turned around adam saw susan standing there;"What are you doing home already and why is she with you?"

"Susan…."said he and tried to look caught and guilty as he quickly pulled his hand away from m.j.'s;"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up an old friend of mine from Washington."answered his girlfriend with an angry look;"You still haven't answered my question."

"I ran into m.j. in new York and Karen asked me to fly back with her after hearing about vince's heartattack."started adam slowly as he pulled susan away from his ex-fiancee a bit;"I know how this must look to you,susan,but can we please talk about this some other time?"

"Fine."said she and walked away;"I have to go."

"Why do I get the feeling that she wasn't all that happy to see you with me,adam?"asked m.j. as they to went an empty cab;"Is she your girlfriend?"

"Yes,she is,but don't worry I will explain everything to her later."answered he quickly;"What do you want to do now?"

"Maybe going straight to the hospital isn't a good idea,so I want to go home and wait for mama there."said his ex-fiancee;"Why didn't you tell me that you had a girlfriend?"

"I guess that kind of slipped my mind because I had a lot on my mind,like finding out that you were in new York and that my sister had known for months without telling me."began adam annoyed but calmed down when he saw the hurt look on m.j.'s face;"I'm sorry,m.j.,that wasn't fair and this isn't the moment to be talking about that."

"I guess that I had that coming,so don't worry."answered she with a sad smile;"Look,adam,you did what your sister has asked of you and I can take a cab home by myself and then you can sort things out with your girlfriend."

"No,I promised Karen that I would get you home safe and sound,so that's what I'm gonna do and that means going with you to your parents' house."said her ex-fiancee;"Susan will understand when I explain the situation to her."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

At jake's Vicky was watching a movie with jake when she suddenly turned off the tv and turned towards jake;"How would you feel about me moving in here forgood?"

"Sure."said he surprised;"If that's what you want."

"That sounds like you don't really want me to move in here with you."answered his girlfriend annoyed and got up;"Maybe I should rent a hotelroom at tops or something."

"Come on,Vicky,don't be like this."started jake slowly as he followed her into the hallway where she grabbed her coat;"Where are you going?"

"Away!"said she angry;"I'm not staying somewhere that I'm not wanted."

"Did you hear me say that I didn't want you here?"asked her boyfriend;"Or that I didn't want you to move in with me forgood?"

"No,but you didn't seem all that thrilled about the idea either,jake!"

"You're making a big deal out of nothing,Vicky!"answered he irritated;"I said that it was fine,didn't i?"

"It's the way that you said it,jake,it sounded like you were only saying it to keep me happy."said Vicky as she began to cry and wanted to run out of the door when jake stopped her and pulled her into his arms;"Let go off me,jake,I'm leaving!"

"No,I'm letting you go in that state!"started her boyfriend worried as he carried her into the livingroom while she kept trying to break free;"Calm down,Vicky,listen to me!"

"Just let me go!"yelled she as the tears kept running down her face;"I just want to go,jake!"

"Running away isn't the answer!"said jake and kissed her gently while he held her tight in his arms;"I love you and I would want nothing more then for you to move in with me,Vicky,but only for the right reasons and not because you don't want to face your family anymore."

"Everything is such a mess,jake,I hate this!"answered his girlfriend as she lay her head against his chest;"Why can't they just accept that I wanna be with you?"

"They will."promised he and kissed her again;"Just give it some time,baby."

Sam was dancing with his wife at tops;"This sure has been a while."

"I know and I'm sorry."answered Amanda softly;"But things are going to be different from now on."

"Stop talking like that!"said her husband annoyed as he felt really guilty about the fact that his wife was taking all the blame for what had been going on between them;"I don't want to hear you talking like that again,Amanda!"

"I'm sorry."whispered she almost and was surprised about the sudden change in sam's mood;"I'm sorry,sam."

"No,I should be the one to apologize because i'm being a big jerk and I shouldn't have snapped at you like that just now."started sam slowly;"I'm sorry,honey."

"What's going on with you today,sam?"asked his wife worried;"You were acting weird this morning too."

"There is nothing going on,Amanda,I've already told you that this morning."answered he lying and kissed her gently;"I'm just a bit tired,honey,that's all."

"This sure is a change from a few days ago."said a voice behind them and as they both turned around they saw felica standing there;"Does this mean that you two have finally worked things out again?"

"Yes,we have."smiled sam as he kissed his wife again;"Everything is just fine again."

At the 's m.j. was sitting on the patio with adam,waiting for her mother to come home again;"You don't have to keep waiting here with me all night,adam,who knows how long it will be before mama gets home."

"I'm staying here untill mary gets back and that's that!"started adam hesitating;"Besides,it gives us a good chance to talk."

"About what?"asked his ex-fiancee softly and got up from the bench where she had been sitting with adam,uncomfortable;"What do we need to talk about,adam?"

"How about what happened at neil's wedding or about where you have been for the last two years?"said he,getting up too;"I think there's a lot to talk about,especially with the way that things ended between us and with the way you suddenly left without a word."

"Not now!"answered m.j. tired and tried to avoid eye-contact with adam;"I can't do this right now."

"You're right and I'm sorry,m.j."said her ex-fiancee as he put his hands on top of her shoulders and was surprised when he felt her shaking,so he gently turned her towards him and saw the tears in her eyes;"Hey,it's gonna be allright again with your father."

"I…."began she in tears when she saw her mother's cars pulling up in the driveway and started to panic a bit;"There's mama,adam,I don't know if I can do this and face her after all this time."

"Just sit here and calm down."answered adam while he gently made m.j. sit down on the bench on the patio and walked up to mary as she was getting out of the car;"Hi,mary."

"Adam…?"asked mary surprised;"Aren't you suppose to be in new York?"

"I was,but I came home early when I heard about vince's heartattack and I brought a surprise back with me."said he with a faint smile as he walked up to the patio with mary,who stopped in shock when she saw her daughter sitting there;"Surprise!"

"Oh,my god,is this for real or am I dreaming?"started his friend shocked and kept staring at her daughter;"M.j….?"

"Hi,mama."answered m.j. a bit uncomfortable as she got up;"I came home."

"Why don't you two go inside because I think that you two have a lot of catching up to do."suggested her ex-fiancee and wanted to walk away;"Welcome back,m.j."

"Adam,wait!"said she softly and grabbed his hand;"Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome."answered adam with a faint smile a bit uncomfortable and walked off;"I'm sure that your family will be thrilled that you're back again."

The next day Michael Hudson was just about to leave for work when his wife stopped him;"I want you to do something for me,Michael!"

"What then?"asked he surprised and turned around;"Well,I don't have all day,donna,what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go over to jake's and tell him that you're sorry about what happened."answered his wife slowly;"And I also want you to tell Vicky and jake that we will accept their relationship."

"Have you lost your mind or something,donna?"said Michael angry;"There's no way that I'm going do that!"

"Do you want to lose our daughter,Michael Hudson,do you?"asked she angry as well;"I sure don't want to lose Victoria over something as stupid as this!"

"Ofcourse I don't wanna lose Vicky."answered her husband and calmed down a bit;"We aren't going to lose her over this,honey,she will come home again once she's calmed down and realizes that we're right."

"How can you be so sure about that,Michael?"

"Come on,donna,she isn't going to stay mad at us forever and this thing with jake is something that she's going through right now."

"I don't think so."said donna softly;"I really believe that Victoria loves him with all of her heart,Michael,just like I love you and this isn't going to blow over,so if we keep putting our foot down about us not wanting to see jake then we will only drive her away and I don't want that to happen."

"That won't happen,donna,you worry too much."laughed he as he tried to kiss her;"This will all blow over again."

"I want you to go and tell jake that he's welcome here in this house,Michael Hudson,because if you don't then I'm never speaking to you again!"warned his wife him and walked back upstairs again;"I mean it!"

"Donna!"called Michael on after her a bit shocked,but all he got was the sound of the door being slammed shut,and so he went on outside towards his car;"Damn it!"

At the 's m.j. was sitting outside,drinking some coffee when her mother came outside;"Goodmorning,sweetheart,you were up pretty early."

"I'm always up early,mama."said her daughter looking up;"Did you call everybody with the news that I'm back again."

"Yes,and they are all really happy about that,m.j."smiled mary as she gave m.j. a hug;"Please don't ever run off like that again!"

"I'm sorry that I made you all worry so much,mama,I didn't mean to do that."answered she softly and got up;"At the time I felt like I didn't have any other choice."

"The only thing that matters right now is that you're back again."said her mother;"I'm glad that adam found you and brought you back to us."

"Goodmorning,everybody."smiled ben as he came outside and turned towards his sister;"So what was it like to spend time with adam again after all that time?"

"I think that I'm going to go for a walk."answered she without answering his question and walked away;"Bye."

"I didn't mean anything by that question."said her brother and turned towards his mother;"Do you think she's mad at me now?"

"No,ofcourse not and I'm sure your sister knows you didn't mean anything bad by it."started mary slowly;"I think m.j. just needs some time to settle in again,ben,so let's just give her some time and space."

Rachel cory was taking a few tables from the medications that Edwin had given her when mac walked in on her and saw her taking them;"What are you doing,Rachel?"

"Nothing."answered his wife lying;"I'm just taking something for my headache."

"Are you okay?"asked mac still worried;"You've been having a lot of headaches lately,so maybe you should see a doctor about that."

"I'm fine,mac,there's no need for me to see a doctor just because of a few headaches."

"I think there's more going on with you then just a little headache now and then,Rachel,I'm not blind and I have noticed that you haven't really been feeling well lately."

"There's nothing wrong with me,mac!"said she annoyed and walked away;"I'm fine!"

"What's up with mom?"asked Amanda as she came into the kitchen just after her mother left;"I saw her in the hallway and she didn't look so good."

"I don't know what's wrong with your mother and she keeps saying that everything's fine,Amanda,but I can't seem to shake the feeling that there is something wrong with her."started her father slowly;"I'd just wish that she would see a doctor."

"Maybe you should talk to Jamie about it."said she;"I'm worried about her too,dad."

After a restless night adam woke,feeling confused after a strange and rather hot dream about his ex when the memory of him kissing m.j. and her kissing him back at neil and karen's wedding came to mind again.

"No,don't go there,adam,you have a girlfriend and things are over between you and m.j."said he to himself,but unable to push away a stiring feeling inside of him and thinking about how comfortable and good it felt to be near m.j.;"What the hell am I doing and why am I even thinking like this when it's susan that I love?"

Quickly he grabbed his phone and tried to call his girlfriend again,but all he got was the voicemail again,so he left her a message;"Hi,susan,it's adam again.i know that you're mad,but please just call me back."

At the wintroph's cass was having breakfast when his wife came into the kitchen;"Aren't you going to be late for work?"

"I wanted to finish our conversation before I went to the office."started cass slowly;"Please sit down,kathleen."

"We were finished lastnight,cass,there's nothing left to finish!"answered she annoyed;"There's nothing left to talk about."

"Ofcourse there is."said her husband;"You can tell me why you aren't happy about the fact that your sister is back."

"Who says that I'm not happy about that?"asked Kathleen;"Ofcourse I'm happy that she's back."

"Come on,Kathleen,you have been in a terrible mood eversince your mother called with the news about m.j. lastnight."

"That's got nothing to do with m.j. being back,cass,just drop it!"

"No,I won't."answered he;"I want you to tell me the truth about how you're really feeling about m.j. being home again and don't just tell me that you're happy because that's not the whole truth!"

"I've said all there is to say about this,cass!"said his wife angry as she walked out of the kitchen again;"Go to work!"

It was almost one o'clock when adam walked into susan's office at the hospital;"Hi,are you busy?"

"Yes,I am."answered she without looking up;"Don't you know how to knock?"

"You're angry at me and I totally understand that,but please just give me a chance to explain."started adam tired;"I was only with her because I'd promised my brother and sister-in-law that I would help her to get home safe and sound,susan,she'd just found out that her father was laying in the hospital after a heartattack."

"That's not what I'm angry about."said his girlfriend softly;"I'm angry because you didn't bother to call me to let me know that you were coming home early or that you were flying home with your ex,adam,that's what I'm angry about!"

"It didn't even cross my mind with everything that had been going on in new York,susan,I was already pretty shocked about finding out that m.j. was in new York and that neil and karen had known about this and didn't tell me,so it kind of slipped my mind to call you and I'm sorry about that."

"When did you see her again,adam,when did you find out that she was in new york?"asked susan all of a sudden;"What that before or after I called you up to tell you about vince's heartattack?"

"What difference does that make?"answered he irritated;"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Lastnight I ran into you,my boyfriend,with his ex-fiancee who has been missing for almost two years,and you guys looked pretty cosy as you held her hand and you didn't bother to call me to tell me that you were coming home,with her,so pretend that I'm overreacting or anything!"said his girlfriend;"So,just answer the question!"

"A few days before neil's wedding."started adam and tried to push away the guilty feeling inside of him;"There is nothing going on between m.j. and me,susan,I was just helping her out in a difficult situation."

"Don't pretend that this has no meaning what so ever,adam cory,because this is more proof that I was right about your feelings for your ex!"answered she tired;"Why didn't you tell me that you'd found her when I called you in new York yesterday?"

"I forgot."said her boyfriend irritated;"I'm only going to say this one more time,susan,I don't have any feelings for my ex!"

"Who are you trying to convince even more,adam,you or me?"started susan slowly;"Maybe it's time to take a break from eachother and let you find out where you stand in all of this."

"Are you breaking-up with me?"asked he stuned;"All because I forgot to tell you that I had found my ex and that I was flying home with her?"

"No,I'm breaking up with you because I think that you still have feelings for her and I think that we could both use some time away from eachother."answered his girlfriend;"Please,adam,try to understand."

"Sure."said adam angry and walked out of her office;"If that's what you want!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

At the hudson's donna was out in the stables when she saw jake's bike pulling up;"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Vicky."said he slowly and got off his bike as donna came towards him;"I know that you hate me,but can't we atleast try to get alone for Vicky?"

"I don't hate you,jake."answered donna softly;"How is Victoria doing?"

"How do you think she's doing?"asked her daughter's boyfriend irritated;"She's really unhappy with the whole situation and with the fact that you guys want us to break up."

"But I don't want to you two to break up anymore,jake,not as long as you make her happy."

"Since when don't you wanna see us breaking up,donna,you've never liked me."

"It doesn't matter if I like you or not."answered she;"Victoria seems tio want to be with you and you seem to make her happy,so that's all that matters."

"Does Michael feel the same way?"started jake surprised;"Does this mean that you've all accepted our relationship?"

"No,this is what I'm saying,jake."said his girlfriend's mother;"I think that marlee will be able to accept it in time and I've tried to make Michael accept it too,but I'm not sure if he ever will."

"It would mean a lot to Vicky if you would all just accept it,because this is really making her unhappy."answered he;"But I'm sure that it would make her happy right now if you went over to my place and told her what you've just told me,donna,that would mean a lot to her."

"Then maybe I should go and see her then."smiled donna;"Thank you,jake,I'm starting to believe that my daughter's right about you."

Kathleen was standing behind the counter at mary's place,talking to her husband and her brother,when mary came in with her other two sisters;"Look who's back in town again."

"Is that all you can say to your sister,who's been away for a long time?"asked her mother surprised;"What kind of a welcome is that,kathleen?"

"It's okay,mama."said m.j. uncomfortable with the whole situation and turned towards her big sister;"Hi,Kathleen."

"It was about time that you came back."started she slowly;"Do you have any idea how worried everybody has been about you and what have you been doing all this time?"

"Kathleen!"warned her husband her quickly;"Is that really called for?"

"What do you expect from me?"asked Kathleen angry as she turned towards cass;"I'm just saying the things that everybody else is too afraid to say!"

"I know that everybody was worried about me and I'm sorry about that!"answered her sister softly;"But I came back,kathleen,didn't i?"

"As if that makes it okay."said she;"Why don't you just answer my question about what you have been doing all this time and what's wrong with your leg?"

"Stop it,Kathleen,what are you trying to reach by this?"asked Cheryl a bit shocked;"What's the matter with you?"

"That's enough!"warned their mother her daughter when she saw that Kathleen was about to say something again to m.j.;"This isn't the time or place for this conversation!"

"I don't see why not,mama,I think that we have a right to know these things."started she still angry and looked at her big sister;"Well,what's the big secret?"

"Why don't you just mind your own business,Kathleen,I didn't come back here to get the third degree from you!"answered m.j. angry too while she walked out the door;"I don't need this!"

"Nice going,Kathleen."said their youngest sister irritated;"Do you want to drive her away again?"

"Was that really called for?"asked mary;"I want to know what has been going on in her life for the last few years too,kathleen,but attacking your sister like that isn't going to do anybody any good!"

"She put you and pops through hell by staying away for so long while you guys had no idea where she was or even if she was still alive!"answered she furious;"Don't you think that we've got a right to know the truth!"

"I'm sure that m.j. will tell us everything that we want to know when she's ready."started her mother tired;"But not if we go about it like you just did!"

At brava sam was just coming back from a lunch with his wife when they heard somebody calling Amanda as they were walking into the elevator in the downstairs-lobby;"Mrs. Fowler!"

"Yes?"asked she as they turned around and saw her secretary coming towards them;"What is it,tara?"

"There's an important call for you upstairs."answered her secretary;"They need you right away,mrs. Fowler."

"Thanks,tara."said Amanda and turned towards sam;"This is tara,sam,she's my new secretary."

"Oh."started he and tried to hide the fact that he was totally in shock and that his heart had just stopped for a second when he saw tara because she was the same girl that he'd had the one-night-stand with;"Hi,tara."

"Is that all you can say?"laughed his wife while she turned towards tara;"This is my husband,tara,this is mr. fowler."

"Hello,mr. fowler."smiled tara as she shook sam's hand;"Nice to finally meet you."

"Yes,nice to meet you too."said he quickly and pulled Amanda with him into the elevator;"Come on,Amanda,they are waiting for you upstairs."

That afternoon mary was sitting by vince's bed when Jamie walked in;"Hi,Jamie,is there any news?"

"He's finally out of the woods and we think that he's going to get better again."answered the young doctor;"He will have to make some changes in his life to prevent this from happening again."

"Don't worry."promised mary him;"I will make sure that he will,jamie!"

"So,is it true what I have heard?"asked he curious;"Has the long lost daughter returned again?"

"Yes,m.j. is back again and it turns out that she was in new York."

"You must all be really happy that she's back again."

"We sure are and I'm sure that it will help vince's recovery once he's really awake again and knows that m.j. is back."

"How is m.j. doing?"asked the young doctor slowly;"Has she changed much?"

"I don't know,Jamie,she really hasn't opened up yet about her life in new York yet."started mary hesitating;"She's also using a cain and when I asked her about it she said that she'd been in a small accident,but that it was nothing serious."

"But you don't seem to believe that,mary,how come?"

"I don't know why,but there is something about her that makes me believe that something happened in new York."said she;"Maybe I'm just worried for no reason at all,Jamie,but I would really like to know what happened in new York."

Ryan Harrison was working at the policestation on some paperwork when a man walked into the office;"Is the office of officer Harrison?"

"David?"asked he surprised as he looked up and saw david cage,an old friend from Washington;"What are you doing here in baycity?"

"I'm here for a short vacation."answered his friend;"Your sister picked me up from the airport lastnight."

"She didn't tell me about that,david."said ryan confused;"I wonder why."

"I think that she probably had other things on her mind lastnight,ryan,because it seems that she saw her boyfriend with his ex or something."started he slowly;"Susan told me that she thinks that he is still in love with his ex and she seemed pretty upset lastnight when she dropped me off at my hotel."

"Damn it!"answered his friend angry;"I warned her about adam,but she wouldn't listen to me!"

"That is one of the reasons why I came to see you today,ryan,I'm a bit worried about your sister."said david;"I have never seen her this sad before."

"Susan really loves that guy,david,so I'm sure that it really hurt her if she saw him with his ex."began he slowly;"But I don't understand why she didn't call me to tell me about it."

"Maybe she didn't call you because she was afraid that you'd get angry or something."answered his friend;"She probably realized that if she'd call you that you would wanna do something about it."

"I guess you're right."said ryan when shane walked in;"Did you know that adam is back and is it true that he brought his ex back with him from new York,shane?"

"Yes,I ran into cass today and he told me that adam found her in new york,where he told her about vince's heartattack after susan had called him with that news and that they both flew back together to baycity."answered he;"He's coming back to work on Monday."

"Just let your sister take care of her own life,ryan!"warned david his friend worried when he saw the angry look in his eyes;"Don't do anything stupid like going on after him or something!"

At jake's Vicky was just cleaning up the kitchen when the doorbell rang and she was stuned to see her mother standing there when she opened up the door;"If you came here to make me change my mind about jake then you can just turn around and leave!"

"Hello to you too."said donna;"Can I please come in?"

"Sure,donna."answered her daughter as she let her mother into the livingroom;"But I'm not changing my mind about seeing jake!"

"That's not why I'm here,Victoria!"started she softly;"I don't want you to stop seeing jake if that's what you really want."

"You don't?"asked Vicky confused;"But you all hate jake."

"I don't hate jake."answered her mother;"I'm just worried about you,Victoria,but if you say that you're happy with him and that he has changed then I'm going to believe you."

"I…"started she stuned;"I thought that you were never going to accept him after what he did to marlee."

"Ofcourse I'm still not happy about what he did back then to your sister,but I don't want to lose you over this and I want you to be happy,Victoria,so if that means that I will have to accept jake then I will."

"Do Michael and marlee feel the same way?"asked Vicky;"Have they accepted the fact that I'm with jake?"

"Well,it's not easy for your sister to accept the fact that you're with the man that has caused her so much pain,vicky,but she doesn't want to lose you over this either."answered her mother;"Michael would still rather see jake out of your life,but I'm trying to make him see that he should just let you live your own life,even if that means that we have to accept jake."

"Michael will never accept jake!"said she softly;"Never!"

"I will make him see that he's got no other choice."promised donna;"It'll be allright,Victoria,just give it some time."

That night adam walked into the 24h store a few blocks from his house when he nearly bumped into his ex;"What are you doing here?"

"The same thing as you as I guess."said m.j. sarcasticly;"You look like you've had a rough day."

"More then you'll ever know."answered her ex as he saw how tired and pale m.j. was looking;"But I could say the same thing about you,m.j."

"Let's just say that not everybody is as happy to see me back and some people think I should tell them about every second of the whole two years that I was gone."started she with a faint smile;"But the good news is that jamie told mama today that pops is gonna be okay again."

"That's great news."said adam a bit worried when m.j. grabbed for her head;"Hey,are you okay?"

"I'm fine,adam,I just have a headache.""answered his ex;"That's all."

"Look,if you need somebody to talk to or something…"began he hesitating as all of a sudden three masked men came running into the store with guns;"What the…?"

"Goodevening,people."said one of the men as he jumped on to the counter with his gun pointed at the man behind it;"This is a hold-up and nobody will get hurt if everybody just remains calm and sits down on the floor."

"The first person that moves is dead!"warned one of the other robbers them;"Let that be a warning!"

"This can't be happening."started m.j. as she began to panic while they sat down on the floor and grabbed adam's arm;"Oh,my god!"

"Hey,calm down."said her ex surprised about her reaction as he felt her shivering all over while as an ex-cop she had been trained for stuff like that,and he held her hand;"As soon as they get what they want they will go away,so nothing's gonna happen,m.j."

"You don't understand."answered she softly,shaking all over and looking even more pale then before and wanted to get up;"I need to go!"

"Are you nuts?"asked adam stuned as he quickly pulled her back next to him;"You will get shot if you get up and try to walk out of here!"

"I can't do this,adam,not again!"whispered his ex in shock and closed her eyes when they heard a gunshot;"Oh,my god!"

"Hey,it'll be okay."promised he while holding her hand and quickly looked at the robbers to see how badly the situation was and who got shot;"I promise."

"What do you think that you're doing?"asked the robber that seemed to be in charge as he walked up to one of the robbers who was standing over the guard that was laying on the floor while blood came flowing out of his chest;"I said no shooting!"

"But I thought that he had a gun and that he wanted to shoot me."answered he irritated;"Am I suppose to let myself get shot or something?"

"He didn't have a gun,nutcase!"said the third robber angry and pointed at a bottle of soda laying next to the guard;"Does that look like a gun?"

"Let's just go!"said the first robber and pulled the rest with him out of the store;"We got what we came here to get!"

"Somebody please call 911!"yelled one of the customers and sat down next to the wounded guard;"I think that he's still alive."

"Are you okay,m.j.?"asked adam worried as he turned his head back towards his ex and was shocked to see her laying unconscious next to him;"M.j…?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sam was sitting on the couch in the livingroom with his wife while she was talking to her parents,totally caught up in his own toughts,when Amanda pushed him;"Hey,earth to sam!"

"What…?"asked he looking up;"Did you say something?"

"Where were you with your thoughts?"started his wife worried;"Dad just asked something three times."

"I'm sorry."said sam and try to push away the guilty feeling that he kept feeling and turned towards his father-in-law;"Sorry,mac,I didn't hear the question."

"Don't worry about it."laughed he;"All I asked was how the layout is coming along."

"The layout is coming along just fine."answered his son-in-law quickly;"It should be ready tomorrow by the end of the day."

"I'm going to bed."said Rachel as she got up and turned towards her husband;"Are you coming too?"

"Sure."smiled he and walked away with his wife;"Goodnight,you two."

"What's going on with you today?"asked his daughter worried after her parents had gone upstairs and turned towards sam;"You've been distracted all day."

"There's nothing going on,amanda!"said sam annoyed and got up;"I'm going for a walk!"

"Don't lie to me,sam,I know that there is something going on with you!"started she again and followed him into the hallway;"I can see that there is something on your mind!"

"You're just seeing things."answered her husband angry and walked out the door,leaving his wife behind worried;"Don't wait up for me."

At the hudson's Michael was home and was surprised to find his sister-in-law waiting for him in the livingroom;"Hey,Nicole,were you waiting for me?"

"Yes,I was."answered she;"Why are you so late?"

"I had a lot to do at the office."said Michael as he sat down;"Where are donna and marlee?"

"Marlee isn't home yet I think and your wife went to bed a little while ago."started his sister-in-law hesitating;"You came home late so that you could avoid donna,didn't you,michael?"

"What makes you think that?"asked he surprised about her question;"Donna has been talking to you about our fight,hasn't she?"

"I'm her sister,so what do you think?"said Nicole with a faint smile;"Did you know that she went to see your daughter to tell her that she will accept jake and their relationship as long as he makes Vicky happy?"

"No,nicole,I didn't know."answered her brother-in-law irritated;"I wish that she hadn't done that."

"Look,Michael,you can be against their relationship all you want and even hate jake ,but as long as Vicky wants to be with him then there's no way that you're going to be able to drive them apart!"warned she him;"Think about what you're doing because you might end up losing your daughter!"

At the hospital adam was waiting outside of the e.r. with the when Jamie came out of the examingroom and mary got up;"How is she doing,jamie?"

"She's fine."answered he;"She's still unconscious,but everything's fine and she doesn't seem to be hurt or anything,so she probably passed out because of stress or something."

"Can we see her?"asked Cheryl;"When will she wake up again?"

"I have no idea,but it's probably a good idea if you all went home and came back in the morning because I'm keeping her here for atleast a night just to be on the safe side."said the young doctor;"She will probably be able to go home tomorrow-morning."

"Thanks,Jamie."answered cass as they all began to leave;"See you."

"Thank you too,adam."said his almost mother-in-law once while she gave adam a hug;"I'm glad you were there with m.j. tonight."

"You're welcome,mary."said he;"Bye."

"Can I talk to you for a minute about something,adam?"asked Jamie when adam wanted to walk away too;"It won't take long."

"Sure."answered his cousin as he turned around again;"What's up,Jamie?"

"I didn't wanna ask this infront of mary or the rest of the family,adam,because I don't want to alarm them after what they have already been going through lately."began he hesitating;"Did m.j. ever get shot while you were both on the force?"

"No,never,Jamie,is that all you wanted to ask me?"

"No,not really."answered his cousin uncomfortable;"Do you know if m.j. is on drugs or something?"

"Drugs?"asked adam stuned;"You can't be serious about that,Jamie,do you really think that m.j. is on drugs?"

"I don't know what to think,adam,but she didn't just pass out tonight for no reason and I only made the stress-thing up for her family."said he;"She's really out cold right now!"

"Come on,Jamie,she's the last person to be taking drugs!"

"But all the signs are there,adam,the enlarged pupils and the passing out for no reason."answered Jamie;"You told me that she seemed to be in a panic and that she wanted to get up just like that to get out of that store while you guys had been told to stay down on the floor,so she was freaking out."

"I'm sorry,Jamie,but I really think that you're wrong about this."said his cousin;"I really can't believe that m.j. is taking drugs."

"I don't want to believe it either,but I have to be sure."started he slowly;"That is why I have taken some blood and send it to the lab for some tests."

The next morning Amanda woke up and saw that sam,who was laying next to her in bed,was staring at her;"What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at how beautyfull you are."said he softly;"I'm sorry about yesterday,Amanda,I was acting like a big jerk."

"Yes,you were."answered his wife teasing as she kissed him;"But I love you anyway."

"Hahahaha."smiled sam and kissed her back;"Very funny."

"What was going on with you yesterday anyway,sam?"asked Amanda;"You were acting so strange all day long."

"I don't know,Amanda,I was probably just tired."answered her husband lying and quickly kissed her again while he layed down on top of her;"I'm glad that it's Saturday and that we don't have to go to work."

"Oh,really?"laughed she;"Who says that I don't have to go to work?"

"I do!"said sam as they started making out;"I'm not letting you go anywhere this morning,Amanda!"

Adam had hardly slept that night and so he was pretty irritated when he heard somebody knocking on his door,waking him up;"What kind of a nut is pounding on my door?"

"That would be me."said Jamie after adam had opened the door;"Did I wake you up?"

"Yes,jamie,you did."answered his cousin irritated;"What do you want?"

"What do you know about m.j.'s life in new York?"asked he and seemed really worried;"Did she tell you anything about that?"

"No,not really."said adam surprised;"She said something about a small accident and both Karen and neil kept saying that m.j.'d been through a lot the last few months,but neither of them said anything about what had happened."

"Maybe I should talk to Karen or neil then."started his cousin slowly;"Do you know where they can be reached,adam?"

"No,they're on their honeymoon,Jamie,but what is this all about?"asked he suddenly worried;"Is m.j. okay and does this have anything to do with you thinking that she's on drugs?"

"No,it's got nothing to do with that and m.j. is okay."said Jamie;"Besides,I was wrong about that,adam,she isn't on drugs."

"I knew that she couldn't be on drugs,Jamie,but what is wrong with her then?"

"You know that I can't really talk to you about that,adam,but she sure isn't on drugs."

At the same time Kathleen came into her parents' kitchen;"Goodmorning,mama."  
"Goodmorning,honey."said mary looking up;"I've just called the hospital and it seems that m.j. isn't awake yet."

"Why not?"asked her daughter worried;"Jamie said that there was nothing wrong with her lastnight,mama,so why isn't she awake yet?"

"The nurse said that m.j. had been so restless during the night that they had to give her something to calm down and help her sleep more peacefull."answered she;"She said that she'd probably be out untill around lunchtime."

"Something really strange happened lastnight,mama."began Kathleen slowly;"When I was working at mary's place,after I came back from the hospital again,a man called asking about m.j. and when I told him about her being in the hospital he seemed really upset."

"Who was he,kathleen?"asked her mother surprised;"What it a friend of hers from new York?"

"I don't know,mama,he didn't say and then he hung up before I had a chance to ask him."answered she;"I only know that his name was aaron ."

Around lunchtime sam was waiting for his brother at tops when mitch came out of the elevator and walked up to him;"So,sam,what was so important?"

"Guess who amanda's secretary is."started he unhappy;"The same tara that i slept with."

"Are you kidding me?"asked mitch surprised;"Is she the same girl?"

"The one and only."answered his brother;"What am I suppose to do now,mitch,should I tell Amanda?"

"Not unless you want your marriage to end!"said he irritated;"You sure know how to make a mess of things."

"I never wanted this to happen,mitch,if I could take it all back then I would,but I can't!"

"Has that girl said anything about what happened between you two?"asked his brother;"How did she react when she saw you?"

"She acted like she met me for the first time."answered sam;"What if she tells my wife about what happened?"

"If she wanted to do that then she probably would have done it by now when she saw you with Amanda."said mitch;"I don't think she would want Amanda to know either,sam,so just keep your mouth shut against your wife and forget about what happened!"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Scott was working in michael's office with him when he looked up at the clock and saw that it was already time for lunch,so he got up;"I'm going out to lunch with my wife."

"Sure."said Michael looking up;"We can finish this up later,scott,thanks for coming down to my office to help me out with this."

"Aren't you going to go home for lunch?"asked he surprised when Michael didn't get up too;"Donna is probably waiting for you to come home for lunch."

"I doubt it."answered his friend hesitating;"She's angry at me for not wanting to accept vicky's relationship with jake."

"Is Vicky seeing jake,michael,since when?"

"I don't really know when it started between them,but we only found out a few days ago and I'm not happy with it after what he has put marlee through."

"But I don't understand why that would make donna angry at you,Michael,because she can't really like the idea of Vicky being with jake either."answered scott;"Or does she accept their relationship?"

"She said that she wasn't happy about it either,but she told me that we have to accept it or else we'll lose Vicky because of it and she doesn't want that!"started he tired;"I can't accept this,scott,I just can't."

"Your wife does have a point,Michael,it's not worth losing your daughter over this."warned his friend him;"Maybe you should listen to donna and stop fighting over it."

At the hospital Jamie was just in m.j.'s room to check up on her when he saw that she was beginning to wake up again;"Welcome back,m.j."

"Where am i?"asked she confused as she looked around;"How did I get here?"

"You're in the hospital,where you have been since lastnight when you passed out during the robbery at the store."answered Jamie;"How are you feeling?"

"Oh,my god,this can't be happening."said his friend shocked and wanted to get out of bed;"I have to go,jamie!"

"Not untill we have a serious talk!"warned he her;"You can't take what happened lightly."

"You don't understand,Jamie,I really have to go!"started m.j. again as she began to look for her clothes;"Where are my things?"

"In the closet,m.j."answered her friend hesitating as m.j. went into the bathroom to get dressed;"Why don't you tell me why you took so many heavy painkillers lastnight and what happened to you in new York?"

"How did you know about me taking painkillers?"asked she confused and came back out of the bathroom after getting dressed again;"Who told you?"

"First I thought you were taking drugs or something,so I ran some tests on your blood and when I got back the results it showed a high amount of heavy painkillers in your blood."said Jamie;"I also saw the scars on your body,so please tell me what happened in new York and don't tell me that nothing happened!"

"Are you insane,Jamie frame,thinking that I'm on drugs?"started his friend angry;"Just mind your own business!"

"I'm only trying to help you,because you're not doing too well if you're taking such a high amount of painkillers,m.j."said he;"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"That is my business,jamie,not yours!"

"I'm just worried about you,because next time something worse might happen then you passing out!"

"I'm fine,Jamie,there is nothing wrong with me!"answered m.j. and walked out of the room;"Just mind your own business and leave me alone!"

Shane was working on the robbery again when ryan walked into the office at the policestation;"What are you doing here on a Saturday?"

"I could ask you the same thing."said shane;"I wanted to go over the evidence in this case again,ryan,what's your excuse?"

"The same."answered he with a faint smile;"I just came from the hospital and the guard that got shot yesterday died about an hour ago."

"I know,ryan,the hospital called the station with the news of his death right after he died."

"Doesn't that make it two murders now?"asked ryan;"On top of assault and robbery?"

"Yes,it does."answered his friend;"That is why I'm spending my day off on this case now,ryan,instead of spending it with my girlfriend."

"If only we got a lead on who these guys are or something like that."started he annoyed;"We have to catch them before they kill somebody else."

"We're doing everything that we can and that's all we can do."said shane tired;"I'm just glad that they didn't shoot adam lastnight."

"What was he doing there anyway,shane?"asked his friend;"Why was he there with his ex?"

"He wasn't there with his ex,ryan,he happen to run into her there."answered he;"Besides,what adam does or where he goes in his own time is his business and not ours!"

Kathleen was cleaning up some tables at mary's place when her brother came out of the kitchen;"Jamie just called and said that m.j. left the hospital pretty upset and he wants us to call him as soon as we see her."

"When isn't she upset?"said his sister annoyed;"M.j. has been upset eversince she came back from new York."

"Excuse me,miss,I wonder if you could help me?"asked a goodlooking man with a little boy in his arms;"I called downhere lastnight asking about my girlfriend and somebody downhere told me that she was in the hospital."

"Your girlfriend?"started Kathleen a bit shocked as she realized that this had been the man that had called the night before;"You called about m.j. lastnight."

"Yes,I got worried after I didn't hear from her when she was suppose to call,so I called downhere because she had told me once that this place belonged to her family."answered he;"Is m.j. still at the hospital and is she okay?"

"We just found out that she left the hospital,but that she's okay as far as we know."said ben;"I'm ben and I'm m.j.'s brother."

"I'm Kathleen,her sister."began Kathleen slowly;"And you are…?"

"My name is aaron and this here is justin."smiled the man and pointed at the boy in his arms;"M.j.'s son."

"Her what?"asked his girlfriend's sister shocked;"Yours and m.j.'s son?"

"No,as much as I love him as my own I'm his stepdad."laughed aaron;"Justin is m.j.'s little boy."

"M.j. has a son?"started ben shocked as well;"But that means that she must have been pregnant when she left baycity by the looks of that little boy."

"Now I can understand why m.j. left in such a hurry almost two years ago."said his sister irritated;"She got herself pregnant and left before anybody could find out about it."

"Please tell that what I heard you say just now is all a bad joke!"said a voice behind them and as they all turned around they saw adam standing there,looking as white as a sheet;"Tell me that I didn't just hear what I thought I did!"

"Adam…"started ben,who was still a bit in shock about the news too,and wanted to stop adam as he began to slowly walk back towards the door;"Don't go off the deep end right away and let's just talk to m.j. about this first and sort it all out."

"Why?"asked he angry and ran out the door;"I don't need anymore lies!"

"I guess that m.j. hasn't told you guys about me or justin yet."said aaron uncomfortable;"Maybe I shouldn't have rushed downhere like this."

"This isn't your fault,aaron."answered Kathleen a bit angry;"M.j. should have been the one to tell us that she had a son as soon as she got back into town!"

That afternoon Michael came home with flowers for donna and walked into the garden where his wife was talking to marlee;"Hello,ladies."

"What do you want?"asked donna as she looked up annoyed;"I'm talking to marlee."

"Come on,blackie,you can't still be mad at me."said her husband and tried to pull his wife into his arms;"It's been long enough."

"Have you been to see Vicky about jake yet?"started she slowly;"Have you?"

"Ofcourse not."answered Michael irritated;"You know how I feel about that and I won't change my mind no matter how long you start mad at me."

"Fine!"said his wife as she got up and walked away;"Then be prepared for a long and cold period ahead of you."

"Why is she still angry at me?"asked Michael tired and sat down next to his daughter;"She should be able to understand where I'm coming from with this and I can't understand why she wants to accept this relationship just like that,marlee!"

"I can."answered she softly;"She doesn't wanna lose Vicky over this,Michael,and neither do i."

"I don't want to lose Vicky either and we won't because this is just a fase that your sister is going through right now."started her father slowly;"You know what Vicky is like,marlee,she keeps changing her mind about things all the time."  
"But what if she is really serious this time,Michael,what if jake is really the one and only love for her?"asked marlee hesitating;"Do you really want to take that chance?"

At mary's place mary,who'd arrived not long ago and had been talked up to speed,was talking to her kids when m.j. walked in;"Where have you been,honey,we were worried about you!"

"I was just walking around."said she when she suddenly saw aaron sitting at a table with her brother with justin sitting on his lap;"What are you doing here?"

"He flew downhere from new York today after he couldn't get in touch with you lastnight and he heard that you were in the hospital after he called downhere."answered Kathleen;"Why didn't you tell us about the fact that you have a son or that you're seeing somebody in new York?"

"I…."started m.j. a bit shocked about seeing aaron sitting there with justin and the fact that her family found out about them before she had a chance to tell them herself;"I was going to."

"When?"asked her sister angry;"By the time that your son turned 18 or something?"

"Kathleen!"warned mary her when she saw how upset m.;"That's enough!"

"I wanted to tell you guys,but I hadn't figured out how yet."answered her daughter softly as she sat down and took justin in her arms;"Hey,sweety."

"He was really happy that we were coming downhere to see you."said aaron;"I'm sorry about flying downhere,but I didn't know that you hadn't told them yet,m.j."

"That's okay."smiled she sadly;"Has justin had his nap yet?"

"No,so I'd better go back to the hotel and lay him down for a while."answered her boyfriend and took justin into his arms;"Are you coming with us?"

"Maybe you should go and talk to adam first."started ben slowly;"If you can find him atleast because I have already tried and he was nowhere to be found."

"Why?"asked his sister surprised and started to get worried when she saw the looks on their faces;"Please,don't tell me that adam already knows too,ben!"

"He walked in just as we found out and were talking about it."answered he;"He was pretty upset."

"Oh,my god."said m.j. shocked;"This day is getting worse by the minute!"

"Maybe you should have been honest with everybody as soon as you came back or even before you disappeared two years ago!"warned her sister her irritated;"Then you wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"Why don't you just mind your own business!"answered she angry and walked away;"I have to find adam!"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Susan was working in her office at the hospital when there was a knock on the door,so she looked up;"Yes?"

"Hi,susan."said david as he came in;"Are you busy?"

"No,not really."answered she;"I was just working away some paperwork."

"Why are you working on a Saturday afternoon?"asked her friend and sat down on her desk;"All work and no play…"

"I wasn't doing anything special at home anyway,so I decided to come downhere to work away some of my paperwork."said susan;"What brings you here,david?"

"Well,I went down to your house and when I didn't find you there I decided to try your office to see if you were here and you are."smiled he;"It's a good thing that I came downhere."

"Why?"asked his friend confused;"Why is it good that you came to my office?"

"So that I could rescue you ofcourse,susan."laughed david;"You really need to learn how to have fun again and I'm just the right man for that!"

"It's good to see that you haven't changed a bit.""smiled she;"I could always count on you to make me feel better no matter what,david."

"You know that I would do anything for you."answered her friend as he pulled susan out of her chair;"Let's go."

It was just past seven when marlee came home and found her father sitting in the livingroom all alone;"Where's donna?"

"I don't know."answered Michael looking up;"She wasn't here when I got home."

"Isn't she upstairs with kristy or something?"asked his daughter surprised;"Or in the bedroom,Michael?"

"No,the nanny said that she saw donna leaving around four."said he;"She's probably trying to avoid me."

"I wish that you two could just patch things up,Michael,instead of fighting about something like this."

"I'm not the one who's acting stupid over this,marlee,she is!"

"Who is what?"smiled Nicole as she walked into the livingroom;"Where's donna?"

"Nobody knows,nicole."said her brother-in-law and got up;"I'll be in my study if anybody needs me."

"What's up with him?"asked she after Michael had left and sat down next to her niece;"He seems upset."

"Donna is still giving him the cold shoulder."answered marlee;"She's still angry because Michael refuses to accept vicky's relationship with jake."

"Maybe I should have a talk with her about that."started her aunt slowly;"This is messing up their marriage."

Adam was sitting in the sand,drinking beers and getting waisted,when m.j. finally found him,after searching for hours;"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you!"started she hesitating when she heard the anger in his voice;"Explain to you why I did what I did!"

"Why?"asked adam angry as he got up;"So that you can tell me more lies?"

"I guess I deserve that,adam,but please just give a chance to explain."begged his ex softly;"I know that you're mad at me right now,but I never meant for you to find out like this or for things to go the way that they have."

"No,you didn't mean for me to find you in new York and face everybody downhere."answered he;"You didn't want anybody to find out that you had cheated on me just before our weddingday!"

"Is that what you think,adam,do you really think that I cheated on you?"asked m.j. shocked;"How can you even think something like that?"

"You tried to hide your pregnancy and ran off without telling anybody where you were going two years ago,so that must mean that I'm not the father and that you were sleeping with somebody else back then while we were still together."

"Ofcourse you're justin's father and I might have done a lot of things wrong,but I have never cheated on you!"said his ex irritated;"I left because I knew how you'd react if I told you back then and I also didn't want to put my family through any more pain!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"asked adam;"If I was really his father then you would have told me,m.j.!"

"Fine,adam,believe whatever you want!"answered she tired and walked away;"Go to hell,adam cory!"

Scott LaSalle was working in his office at home when his wife came in;"How much longer are you going to stay in here,scott?"

"I'm almost finished."said he and noticed how late it was getting when he looked at the clock on the wall;"I'm sorry,honey,just a few more minutes and I'm all yours."

"What have you been doing here all night anyway?"asked dawn as she sat down on his desk;"I haven't seen you since yiou went in here as soon as you came home."

"I know and I'm sorry about that,but I had some business that couldn't wait and which I had to finish up today."answered her husband and after he put away some papers from his desk into a draw he pulled his wife on to his lap;"So,now I'm yours for the rest of the weekend,dawn."

"That isn't an answer to my question,scott!"laughed she;"What were you working on?"

"Come on,dawn,you know that I can't talk about that with you."smiled scott;"But now I'm done and all yours."

"Oh,really?"asked his wife teasing as she put her arms around his neck;"Does that mean that you will do whatever I want,scott?"

"Ofcourse."laughed he;"Whatever you desire."

"Allright then,I want some icecream."smiled dawn and got off his lap;"I'll be upstairs."

"Hey,come back here."said her husband as he pulled her back into his arms;"Is that all you want?"

"Yes."answered she teasing;"I'm craving for some icecream."

"Hmmm,I'm craving for something else."began scott slowly and carried dawn up the stairs while he kissed her;"Right now!"

At the wintroph's Kathleen was getting ready for bed when cass,who'd just taken a shower,came out of the bathroom in his underwear;"What's on your mind,Kathleen,you have been quiet all night."

"Nothing."said she lying;"Let's just go to bed."

"**Come on,honey,you don't really expect me** to believe that."started cass slowly;"Do you?"

"Okay then,cass,if you really want to know."answered his wife irritated;"I'm just still in shock about the fact that my sister has kept the fact that she has a son from us and also from his own father for so long and that if her new boyfriend hadn't come downhere we wouldn't have found out at all."

"Aren't you overreacting just a little bit?"asked he hesitating;"I'm sure that m.j. had her reasons to keep this from us and she said that she wanted to tell us,but didn't know how."

"No,I'm not overreacting and she should have told adam that she was pregnant even before she left two years ago!"said Kathleen angry;"Why do you always take her side?"

"I don't always take her side,but you weren't here when she left and you didn't see the state she was in at the time."answered her husband;"I'm not saying that m.j. was right in keeping this from everybody for so long,Kathleen,but maybe you should try to look at it from her point of view for once instead of being so hard on her all the time."

"Try telling that to adam!"started she slowly;"You didn't see the look on his face when he heard that he had a son."

"I didn't say that she shouldn't have gone about this differently,but you should try to listen more to her side of the story before you begin blaming her for everything."

"You always keep defending her,cass,no matter what!"said Kathleen furious and walked out of the room;"I'm sleeping in the guestroom and don't dare coming in there,cass wintroph!"

"Kathleen…"called he on after her and tried to follow her into the guestroom when she slammed the door shut in his face;"Damn it!"

The next day Rachel got up really early after a restless night when mac woke up too;"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to go downstairs,honey,I didn't mean to wake you up."said his wife as she turned around;"Go back to sleep,mac."

"Why don't you come back to bed too?"asked he;"I think that you could probably use some more sleep too after the restless night that you've had."

"No,I couldn't go back to sleep even if I wanted to."answered Rachel;"I didn't keep you awake,did i?"

"Well,I couldn't help overhearing you tossing and turning through out the night."started her husband slowly;What is going on with you lately,Rachel?"

"There is nothing going on with me lately,mac,there's nothing for you to worry about."

"But I am worried about you,Rachel,because I'm not blind and I have noticed that you haven't been feeling well lately."answered mac;"Why don't we ask Jamie to give you a check-up at the hospital,honey,just to be on the safe side."

"There is no need for that!"said his wife annoyed;"I'm fine!"

"No,you're not and I really don't understand why you're so against a check-up,Rachel,unless you're afraid that they might find something."

"I'm not afraid of anything,mack,I just don't see the point in going if there's nothing wrong with me and there really isn't anything wrong!"answered Rachel lying and opened the bedroomdoor;"I'm going for a walk,mac,I will see you later on."

At the 's mary was getting ready to go to the hospital when aaron walked in with justin;"Goodmorning,mrs. ."

"Please just call me mary."said she looked up;"Where's m.j.?"

"I was kind of hoping that she was here."started aaron slowly;"She went for a walk this morning and she was really upset about what happened yesterday,so I decided to look for her when she didn't come back after an hour."

"Goodmorning."said Cheryl as she came into the kitchen and was surprised to see aaron standing there with justin;"So,is this my nephew?"

"Yes,this is justin."answered her mother;"And that is aaron."

"Hi."smiled she and took justin into her arms;"Where's my sister?"

"That is why aaron is here."said mary and looked at aaron;"Isn't she out looking for adam again or has she already talked to him?"

"That's one of the reasons why she was so upset because she saw him at the beach lastnight and tried to explain everything to him."answered her daughter's boyfriend;"But it seems that he got it into his head that justin isn't his son and that m.j. must have been cheating on him while they were still together."

"But that's crazy!"said Cheryl shocked;"There's no way that she would have done something like that!"

"Ofcourse not,but he seems to think that she did and he wouldn't listen to her lastnight."started aaron softly;"Would you guys please call me if she does show up here?"

"Sure."answered his girlfriend's mother;"And if she were to come back to the hotel then please ask her to call us right away."

Michael was about to leave the house when marlee came downstairs;"Goodmorning,honey."

"Goodmorning,Michael."said his daughter surprised to see him all dressed-up;"Where are you going?"

"To the office."answered he;"I will probably be back in a few hours."

"Why are you going to the office on a Sunday?"asked marlee;"Where's donna?"

"I have no idea where she is."said her father annoyed;"And I'd rather be at my office,working away some paperwork,then sitting around here all day and getting the cold shoulder from my wife,marlee."

"Then why don't you just do what she wants?"started she slowly;"Why would that be so terribe?"

"Because that would mean that I have to accept jake into our family again and I don't want that!"answered Michael angry;"I also don't understand how you two can do that so easy after what he has done!"

"I'm still not happy with Vicky seeing jake,but I can't keep living in the past and if jake is what makes Vicky happy then who am I to be against that."said marlee softly;"Just think about what I've just said,Michael."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Around noon aaron was packing his things when he suddenly stopped and turned towards his girlfriend who was laying on the bed in their hotelroom;"Maybe I shouldn't go!"

"Ofcourse you have to."said m.j. as she sat up straight;"It's your job,aaron."

"But I can't leave you and justin downhere all alone right now."started he slowly;"Why don't you come with me back to new York?"

"I can't and you know why!"answered his girlfriend irritated;"I'm a big girl,aaron,I don't need a babysitter!"

"I know that you can handle things just fine by yourself,honey,but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be nice to have somebody standing by your side through all of this,m.j."

"It's sweet of you to wanna stay here with me,aaron,but your job is important and you have to go!"

"But I just don't wanna leave you and justin with everything that is going on right now,m.j."said aaron;"A lot has happened in the last few months and you're still getting over…"

"Don't start that again!"warned she him angry;"I'm fine and there's no reason why you shouldn't go back to new York now that they've called you back."

"Maybe you're right."answered her boyfriend;"Can I atleast still worry about you while I'm back in new York or is that forbidden too?"

"Ofcourse you can."laughed m.j. as she calmed down again;"I'm sorry about snapping at you,aaron,I guess that I'm still a bit sensitive about that."

"Have you told your family about what happened in new york?"asked he curious;"They have been wondering about what's wrong and why you're using a cain."

"I have told them that I was in a little accident and that I have to use cain for a while,aaron,that's all."

"A little accident?"started he surprised;"That's the understatement of the year."

"I don't want them to know because that would only make them worry even more and they have been through enough!"answered m.j. softly;"Go to new York and do your job,aaron,I'm going to be fine and I'll be right here with justin untill you get back."

At the frame's Jamie was playing with his daughter when lisa walked into the livingroom with his stepfather;"Mac is here to see you,Jamie."

"Hi,mac."said her husband a bit surprised;"What brings you downhere and where's mom?"

"Your mother is at home and she doesn't know that I'm here right now."answered he hesitating;"I wanted to talk to you about your mother because I'm really worried about her."

"Why are you worried about her?"asked Jamie as they both sat down on the couch;"Did something happen?"

"No,but she hasn't been looking that well lately and I have noticed that she's been taking a lot of painkillers or something."started his stepfather slowly;"Your mother keeps saying that she's fine,but I'm not sure about that."

"But she went to see Edwin for a check-up,mac,so she must okay or else Edwin would have said something."

"When did she have a check-up,Jamie?"asked he surprised;"I didn't know that your mother had been to see Edwin for a check-up."

"I saw her at his office last week and she said that she was there for a check-up."answered his stepson confused;"When I asked her where you were and why you weren't there with her she said that you couldn't be there because you were in an important meeting or something."

"But I didn't even know that she went to see Edwin for a check-up."said mac shocked;"Now I'm really worried."

"Calm down,mac,you don't know why she didn't tell you about it."began he slowly;"Maybe she's got a very good reason for keeping this from you and lying to me about you knowing about it."

"Or maybe Edwin did find something wrong and she doesn't want us to know about it."answered he softly;"Maybe there is something really wrong with your mother,jamie."

Donna was walking in the garden with her sister;"Did Michael ask you to come and talk to me?"

"No,ofcourse he didn't."said Nicole;"I'm worried about you two and what this is doing to your marriage,donna,why are you pushing this so much?"

"Because I don't wanna lose Victoria over this,Nicole."answered her sister irritated;"If marlee can accept it then I don't see why Michael couldn't too."

"Probaly because he doesn't want to see his daughter get hurt too."started she slowly;"Maybe you should just give him some time to come to terms with vicky's relationship with jake."

"Why?"asked donna angry;"He told me that he will accept jake again after what he did to marlee."

"He's only saying that because he's angry right now,donna,I'm sure that in time he will learn to accept it."

"I have been through a lot with Victoria and there was a time when she didn't even want to have anything to do with me after that mess with john."said she softly;"This last year my relationship with Vicky has finally gotten better and I won't let anybody do anything to mess that up,Nicole,not even Michael."

"And what about your marriage?"asked Nicole;"Do you want to risk that too over this after everything you guys have been through and all the problems that you have had."

"If Michael loves me as much as he says that he does then he will do what I have asked him to do!"answered her sister angry again;"That's all that I'm gonna say about this,so let's just change the subject."

Later that day at mary's place ben was just talking to his mother and Kathleen when m.j. walked in with justin;"Hi,guys."

"Hi,sweety."said mary and turned around;"Where's aaron?"

"He went back to new York."answered his daughter;"He got called back for his job."

"Aaron seems like a nice guy."started ben hesitating;"How did you guys meet?"

"I was giving his sister piano-lessons last year and that's how we met."

"Does he know about what happened with adam?"asked Kathleen;"Or did you lie to him too?"

"Don't start again,Kathleen!"warned their mother her tired;"That is totally uncalled for."

"It was just a simple question."said she annoyed;"Can't I ask anything anymore?"

"What is your problem?"asked m.j. suddenly angry;"Why do you keep doing this everytime I see you?"

"Can you two please try to get along for once?"begged their brother as he looked worried at their mother;"Do you have any idea how this is for mom?"

"You're right,ben."answered Kathleen quickly;"I'm sorry,mama,you don't need this right now."

"I'm sorry too,mama."said her sister softly as she turned around and walked away;"I'm going back to the house with justin."

"Why do you keep doing that,Kathleen?"asked ben after m.j. had left with her son;"Do you hate her so much that you want to drive her away or something?"

"Ben…!"started his mother a bit shocked about his outburst;"I'm sure that your sister doesn't hate m.j. and that she doesn't want to drive her away again."

"Ofcourse not."answered Kathleen slowly;"I'm sorry,mama,I will try to restrain myself around m.j. next time because I wouldn't want her to get upset or anything."

Rachel cory had just come home after spending a couple of hours with her friend,felica,at tops when mac came out of the study;"I've been waiting for you to come home,Rachel."

"Oh."said his wife surprised;"Why?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you saw Edwin white for a check-up?"asked mac;"Why would you keep something like that from me?"

"I…"started she shocked;"Who told you that I went to see Edwin?"

"Jamie did."answered her husband;"But he seemed to think that I knew about it."

"The only reason why I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry for no reason,mac,that's all."said Rachel lying;"I didn't want you to make a big deal about it."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"asked he;"If it was really no big deal,Rachel,then you would have told me about it,so the real question here is why you didn't tell me and why you lied to your son about me knowing about it."

"I don't like being called a liar!"answered his wife furious as she wanted to walk away when mac stopped her;"Can you please just let me pass,mack?"

"Please just tell me what is wrong with you!"begged mac even more worried;"Whatever it is we will get through it together,honey,you don't have to do this alone!"

"There's nothing to tell,mac!"said she and walked away;"Just leave me alone!"

At chad's room at tops he was just laying on the couch,fooling around with Cheryl,when there was a knock on the door and Cheryl almost jumped up from the couch;"Who is that?"

"I have no idea since I can't look through the door."smiled chad as he kissed her;"Maybe they will go away if we're really quiet."

"You're bad."said his girlfriend softly into his ear with a smile;"What if it's important ,chad?"

"Not as important as you."whispered he when he heard his sister's voice calling out his name while she started knocking on the door again;"Damned,that's dawn!"

"What are we gonna do?"asked Cheryl worried as she got up;"I don't think she's gonna go away."

"Just go into the bedroom and I will handle this as quickly as I can."answered her boyfriend and,while Cheryl quickly grabbed her things that were laying next to the couch and ran into the bedroom,chad opened up the door after Cheryl had closed the bedroomdoor;"Hi,dawn,what brings you downhere?"

"I was a bit worried about you because I haven't seen you around for a while."started she slowly as she looked around the room;"Are you here alone?"

"Ofcourse."said chad lying;"Why do you ask?"

"I thought that I heard somebody else talking when I was standing outside your door."answered his sister;"Why did it take so long to open up the door anyway,chad?"

"I was in the bathroom and I'm here all alone as you can see,dawn,so maybe you should have your ears checked-out."laughed he;"And there's no need to be worried about me either because as you can see for yourself I'm just fine."

"I guess so."said dawn and walked back to the door;"Don't be such a stranger again,chad."

"I won't,dawn,I promise."smiled her brother as he closed the door after her;"Bye."

"That was close."said Cheryl as she came out of the bedroom;"I think that she is suspecting something,chad."

"My sister knows nothing,baby,she just thinks that she does."laughed he as pulled her back into his arms;"Don't look so worried,Cheryl,nobody will know about us untill you're ready to tell them."

That night shane was going through some papers while he was sitting on the couch next to his girlfriend when all of sudden she pulled the papers out of his hand;"Hey,Nicole,give those back!"

"No!"said she teasing;"You have been looking at them all night and hardly at me!

"Give those papers back."started shane again;"They are important!"

"And I'm not?"asked his girlfriend irritated as she threw them into his face and got up from the couch;"I'm going home,shane."

"No,ofcourse you're important to me."answered he and grabbed her hand;"Please,don't go,nicky,please stay."

"What for,shane,so that you can sit there all night without saying a word to me and do nothing more then stare at those papers?"said Nicole angry;"You're so obsessed with that case that you don't care about anything else anymore."

"That isn't true,Nicole,I care about you more then anything else in this world!"

"Then you've got a weird way of showing that,shane Cassidy!"

"I'm sorry about being so into this case and not spending enough attention to you."said her boyfriend as he pulled her on to his lap and kissed her;"Please stay and I will show you just how much you mean to me,Nicole,I promise you that you won't be sorry."

Adam cory was sitting at home,drinking again,when the doorbell rang and when he opened the door he saw m.j. standing there,all wet she'd been walking through the rain towards his house;"What do you want?"

"I want you to give me a chance to explain things to you."said she and walked right past him into the livingroom;"Please just let me tell you why I did what I did."

"Why?"asked adam irritated;"So that you can tell me more lies?"

"Maybe I haven't always been honest with you in the past,but I am telling you the truth about justin!"answered his ex tired;"He's your son,adam!"

"Am I expected to believe that?"began he again;"Give me one good reason why I should believe anything that you tell me!"

"Because I wouldn't lie to you about our son,adam!"

"I also didn't think that you would have kept such a big secret about your past from me untill I found out about it on our weddingday,but you did!"

"Okay,I made a terrible mistake two years ago when I didn't tell you the truth about what I did for a living in Chicago when I was like 17 a lot earlier before you found out on your own just as I was about to tell you,adam,but how long are you going to keep using that against me?"asked m.j. frustrated;"I have never cheated on you and justin is your son!"

"You didn't tell me the truth when I saw you in new York either or when we got back to baycity again and if I hadn't walked in at mary's place yesterday when your family had just found out and were talking about it then I still wouldn't have known!"answered her ex angry;"So don't expect me to believe that you didn't cheat on me or that justin is my son without any proof because for all I know you could have been sleeping with half of baycity when we were together or turning tricks again or something,m.j."

"Damn you,adam cory!"yelled she furious with tears in her eyes and slapped him against his cheeck;"Go to hell!"

"You first!"yelled adam back as he grabbed her wrist when she wanted to walk away and at first m.j. thought that he was gonna hit her back as he stood infront of her with that furious look on his face,but then out of the blue he suddenly pushed her up against the wall with his body as he grabbed both of her arms and kissed her.

"What are you doing?"asked his ex shocked as she pushed him away and hit him against his cheeck again,but then when he grabbed her again with that fire-look in his eyes,and kissed her for the second time while keeping her up against the wall with his body she let herself go too as she started to kiss him back…


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

At the cory's Rachel went straight up to her bedroom,trying to avoid mac when she saw him sitting on the bed as she came in;"Don't start again,mac,please?"

"Start what?"asked her husband slowly;"You keep telling me that there is nothing wrong with you,but I'm finding that very hard to believe when I'm looking at the way you have been acting lately and also at the at painkillers I've you taking,Rachel."

"I had no idea that you've been spying on me lately."answered she irritated;"I'm tired,so can we please just drop this right now?

"You've been tired a lot lately."started mac worried;"Can you really blame me for being worried about you,honey,what kind of a husband would I be if I didn't try to look out for you?"

"What do you want me to say,mac,do you want me to tell you that I'm dying?"asked Rachel angry;"Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"I…."said he in shock as he stared at her;"You're dying?"

"I'm sorry,mac,I didn't want you to find out like this!"answered his wife and started to cry when she saw the shocked look on his face;"I didn't wanna tell you yet."

"How long have you known about and why did you try to keep this from me?"asked mac softly as he pulled himself together and his wife into his arms;"What's wrong with you and are you sure that there's nothing that anybody can do?"

"I have a braintumor that they can't remove or cure and I've only known since about a week or so,but I didn't want you to know yet because I didn't want you to worry."started she tired;"I don't want the rest to find out yet,mack,promise me that you won't tell them!"

"You should have told me right away,Rachel,I had a right to know to something like that right away!"said her husband;"Don't you think that your children have got a right to know as well about the fact that their mother is going to die?"

"I'm not going to die tomorrow or something,mac,so there's no need to tell them yet."answered Rachel annoyed;"If they were to know about this then they would start acting differently towards me and I don't want that!"

"Allright,we can talk about this another time."started he slowly as he gently kissed his wife;"But you should have told me right away and I'm glad that I know now,because I can atleast help you through this now that I know the truth!"

Mary was cleaning up in the kitchen at home after she'd spend the whole evening at the hospital when Kathleen walked in with cass;"Hi,guys,what are you two doing here?"

"I came to see m.j."said her daughter hesitating;"I wanted to tell her that I was sorry about earlier,mama."

"That's sweet of you,honey,but she isn't here."answered she;"She went to adam's a while ago to try and talk to him again."

"How long ago did she leave?"asked Kathleen a bit worried as she looked at her watch;"Maybe somebody should go overthere to see if they are both still in one piece."

"I'm sure that they are both fine."laughed her husband;"Maybe they are finally talking things out."

"Or maybe she went for a walk after she went to see adam."started his mother-in-law slowly;"Aaron told me that m.j. does that a lot when she's troubled about something when he called about an hour ago and I told him about m.j. going to talk to adam again."

"How did he react to that?"asked cass curious;"It must be difficult for him to be in new York and hearing over the phone that his girlfriend is with her son's father."

"Come on,cass,as if adam would ever try anything with my sister right now."said his wife with a faint smile;"I have never seen him as angry as I did yesterday."

"Maybe I should try calling her.""said mary as she started to get worried because of what her daughter had just said about adam being really angry and grabbed the phone;"Just to check if she's okay."

At the same time adam was laying on the couch in the livingroom with m.j. in his arms as he gently stroke her hair with his hand;"Hey,are you awake?"

"Yes."answered she and looked up at him;"I'm awake."

"Hey,what's with the tears?"asked adam surprised as he gently wiped them away with his other hand;"Are you sorry about what happened?"

"No."said his ex;"Are you?"

"I didn't expect it to happen,but I'm not sorry that it did."answered he;"So what's up with the tears?"

"I just cheated on aaron."started m.j. softly;"No matter what you might think I have never cheated on anybody else before tonight."

"I only said that out of anger,but I really didn't mean it and I know that you've never cheated on me."said her ex feeling guilty as he gently kissed her;"Neither of us meant for this to happen,but it did and now we can deal with it."

"Deal with it how?"asked she and got up as she started to get dressed again;"I should go home."

"Hey,where are you going?"answered adam confused and pulled her back on to the couch;"We need to talk about this."

"And then what?"started his ex tired;"You were drunk and I was upset,adam,that's all there is to it,adam!"

"Do you really think that this happened because I was drunk?"asked he a bit angry;"Is that what you think?"

"Why else did it happen?"said m.j. confused;"We have been apart for so long!"

"This happened because I love you damn it!"yelled her ex almost furious as he jumped up from the couch;"Damn,woman,you can drive a man insane,do you know that?"

"What did you just say?"asked she stuned and grabbed his arm;"I thought that you didn't love me anymore and that you stopped since…."

"So did I,but I guess we were both wrong."answered adam with a faint smile as he calmed down again;"Do you still love me?"

"Do you really need to ask me that?"said his ex softly as she looked straight into his eyes;"I wish that I didn't,adam,but I do and that has never changed!"

"What happened tonight wasn't a one night stand as far as I'm concerned,m.j."started he hesitating and pulled m.j. into his arms;"I want you back!"

"But what about aaron?"asked m.j. shocked;"I'm with aaron,adam,and you're with susan!"

"No,I'm not because susan broke up with me the day after I came back from new York."answered her ex;"Do you love aaron?"

"Not in the way that I love you and he knows that because I have always been upfront with him about that,adam,but where does that leave us and what am I suppose to do now?"

"Right where we want to be,baby,with eachother!"smiled he and kissed her;"I promise that I won't push you on this and I will give you all the time in the world to take a decision on where we go from here,but to me it's simple and I want us to get back together again since it's clear we both still love eachother,so it's up to you."

The next morning Scott was having breakfast when his wife came into the kitchen;"Goodmorning,honey,can I make you some breakfast?"

"No."answered she;"I'm feeling sick enough as it is."

"Are you feeling sick again?"asked her husband worried;"Maybe you should talk to sharlene about that."

"Come on,scott,don't be stupid."said dawn annoyed;"I'm pregnant and pregnant women sometimes feel sick,so there's no need for me to talk to sharlene about that!"

"Allright,I won't say another word about it."answered he quickly;"I'm sorry that I even said anything at all."

"I'm sorry."began his wife a guilty about being so mean to him;"You were only being sweet to me and I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

"It's okay,honey,I do know that pregnant women can have pretty bad moodswings sometimes."smiled scott teasing;"I remember that from when you were pregnant with eric."

"Very funny,scott!"laughed dawn and gently hit him against his shoulder;"Hahaha!"

"I saw your brother lastnight,dawn,when I came from the hospital."said her husband all of a sudden;"I called out to him,but I don't think he heard me."

"Where did you see him?"asked she surprised;"Was he alone?"

"Yes,I think so."answered scott;"I saw him driving near where my mother lives."

"Why would he go to your mother's house,scott?"

"I didn't say that I saw him at my mom's house,honey,I only said that I saw him near there."

"When I saw him yesterday at tops,in his room,he was acting really strange."started dawn slowly;"He seemed to want to get me out of there as soon as possible and I got the feeling that he was hiding someone in there or something."

"Come on,dawn,you're making it sound like he's 16 or something."laughed he;"Why would he be hiding something?"

"Maybe he's afraid of the reactions of other people about his new secret girlfriend."answered his wife annoyed;"Maybe it's something like that."

"Why would anybody be against chad having a new girlfriend or do you think that he has suddenly turned out to be gay or something?"

"Ofcourse not!"said dawn hesitating;"But I'm sure that the 's wouldn't be too happy if Cheryl were to end having a relationship with my brother because some of them still think that chad had something to do with the break-up between adam and m.j."

"I have never heard something more stupid in my life."answered scott;"Cheryl is the last person to start something with your brother."

"Why is that stupid?"asked his wife angry;"Because you'd rather call your wife stupid then to think about the possiblty that your ex-girlfriend is sleeping with my brother,scott laSalle?"

"Ofcourse not,dawn,I would never call you stupid."said he and grabbed her arm as she wanted to walk away;"Come back here,honey,I didn't mean that the way that it came out out and I'm sorry."

"Go to work,scott."answered dawn still angry as she pulled away from him and walked back up the stairs to their bedroom,where she slammed the door shut.

"Nice going."said scott to himself irritated and walked towards the frontdoor;"Just great!"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Mary was talking to ben and Cheryl when m.j. came back from her walk;"Goodmorning,honey."

"You were gone pretty early this morning."said ben as he turned around;"I would have thought that you'd sleep in after coming home so late lastnight?"

"Are you checking up on me or something?"asked his big sister irritated;"I'm a big girl,ben."

"I didn't say that you weren't."answered he a bit surprised about her reaction;"I was just joking."

"I know and I'm sorry."said m.j. softly as she sat down;"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"It's okay."laughed ben and kissed his mother goodbye before he went out the door;"See you all at lunch."

"I have to go too."said their youngest sister as she got up as well and turned towards m.j. before she walked out the door too;"Justin is still asleep and just call me if you need a babysitter today."

"Thanks,Cheryl."answered she;"I will keep that in mind."

"So?"started mary slowly;"How did things go with adam lastnight?"

"It went fine,mama."said her daughter quickly;"I think that I was able to convince adam that justin really is his son."

"That's great."smiled she;"I tried to call you lastnight to see if you were okay,but you didn't pick up your phone."

"I forgot to turn on the sound again."answered m.j. as she got up;"I'm gonna take a shower before justin wakes up."

"Are you sure that you're okay?"asked her mother worried;"Did adam do something to upset you,m.j.?"

"No,mama,he didn't."said she quickly and walked towards the stairs;"Everything's fine."

At the hudson's donna was getting her horse ready to go for a ride when she saw michael's car pulling up and him getting out and coming into the stables;"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to you!"answered he and closed the stable-doors;"You're driving me crazy with this cold shoulder-routine of yours."

"Open that door,Michael!"warned donna him angry;"Open it right now!"

"No,not untill you promise me that you're going to stop with this!"said her husband;"This is driving me up the wall and I want my wife back,donna!"

"I'm not joking,Michael,if you don't open that door right now!"started she and began to feel like the walls were coming down on her while she began to have trouble with breathing;"Open that door right now!"

"What's the matter with you?"asked Michael surprised when he saw how donna was starting to panic and walking up and down the floor as she started to hyperventilate,and opened the door right away;"Are you okay?"

"No!"answered donna furious as she ran outside;"Don't ever do that again!"

"Hey,I'm sorry,honey,I was just trying to get you to listen to me."started her husband confused when she walked away from him quickly;"Donna…?"

"Go to hell,Michael Hudson!"yelled she and kept on walking away from him;"Leave me alone!"

Just after lunch sam was walking back to this office,after spending a little while with his wife,when amanda's secretary showed up;"What are you doing here,tara,did Amanda send you or something?"

"No."said she with a strange smile on her face;"I was just curious about something."

"About what then?"asked sam irritated;"Shouldn't you be doing something for my wife?"

"I'm still on my lunchbreak."answered tara;"Does your wife even know about what happened between us,sam,did you tell her about our night together?"

"No,ofcourse I didn't!"said he;"And it's mr. fowler for you!"

"Well,I think that I have the right to call you by your first name after how close we have been."smiled his wife's secretary;"But,don't worry,Sammy,I will only call you that when we're alone."

"We never will never be alone again!"answered sam angry;"What happened between us was a big mistake,tara!"

"But it was a wonderfull mistake,sam,you're really good in bed and your wife is a really lucky woman."

"Shut up!"said he and tried really hard to stay as calm as possible,instead of throwing her out of the building;"What do you want,tara,do you want to tell my wife or something?"

"Now why would I want to do that?"asked tara laughing and began to walk away again;"See you,Sammy."

"Damn it!"whispered sam to himself worried;"That girl means trouble!"

At the cory's mac was sitting on their bed,where Rachel was laying because she got such a headache that morning while they were at brava that mac had brought her home;"How are you feeling now?"

"A bit better."said his wife lying because the headache was still as bad and she knew that she would have to take the medication that Edwin had given her,but she didn't want mac to around then because she didn't want him to know just how bad the headache was or how heavy her medication was either;"Don't you have to run a company or something?"

"I can stay here as long as I want."laughed mac;"I'm the boss,Rachel,remember?"

"There is nothing that you can do downhere and I wanted to rest a while anyway,so it's okay to go back to your office."answered she;"I'll still be here when you get home,mac,I promise that I will be a good girl and stay in bed for the rest of the day."

"That sounds like you want me out of the way."started her husband slowly;"Could it be that you don't want me to see you taking the medication that Edwin probably gave you?"

"Why wouldn't I want you to see that?""asked Rachel and was surprised that he was on to her;"Don't be silly."

"Come on,honey,I know you almost as well as I know myself and I also that you're afraid that I might get really overprotective about you if I were to find out just how serious this is."answered mac with a sad smile;"But I already know how serious it is,Rachel,you're dying and that's as serious as it gets."

"I'm sorry,mac."said his wife and kissed him gently;"You're right as always."

M.j. had just put justin down for his nap and she was changing her t-shirt in her old bedroom when somebody suddenly grabbed her from behind and scared the hell out of her;"What the….?"

"Hey,it's just me."laughed adam when m.j. turned around to punch him;"No need to get all kung-fu on me."

"Don't ever do that to me again!"warned she him irritated;"What are you doing here,adam,what if somebody had seen you coming up here?"

"Relax,baby,there's nobody home but us."smiled her ex as he pulled her into his arms;"I have been thinking about you all night."

"Are you insane?"asked m.j. worried and pushed him away;"Do you have any idea how this would look if somebody were to walk in on us right now,adam?"

"Pretty bad probably."said he teasing,but then he got worried when he saw the look on m.j.'s face;"Please don't tell me that you're sorry about what happened between us lastnight and that you have decided to stay with aaron?"

"I'm not sorry about lastnight,adam,it was great."started his ex hesitating while she put on her shirt;"But I just don't feel right about cheating on aaron and I don't want to hurt him."

"It's not like you set out to cheat on him and neither of us were expecting anything to happen lastnight,but I'm glad that it did and I hope you do too,m.j."answered adam as he pulled m.j. back into his arms;"I know that you care about aaron and that you don't want to hurt him,but by staying with him while it's me that you really love and wanna be with you will only end up hurting him even more in the end."

"I know and you're right."said she softly;"Why can't it ever be simple?"

"You do want to be with me,don't?"asked her ex still a bit worried;"I know that I promised you that I wouldn't push you thinking about you not wanting me was driving me insane and I meant what I said about still loving you and wanting you back."

"Do you really think that we would be standing here,having this conversation,if I didn't want you back as well?"answered m.j. with a faint smile;"But I don't want to tell aaron over the phone and I don't want him to find out from somebody else either,adam,so we have to keep this between us untill I get a chance to tell aaron when he gets back."

"Sneaking around can be fun too."smiled he and kissed her;"I'm never going to let you get away from me ever again,m.j. !"

"You're nuts."laughed his ex and she was about to kiss him back when she heard her mother's car pulling up in the drive-way outside,so she pushed him out of her bedroom quickly;"Damn it,there's my mother!"

"Relax,babe."said adam with a big grin on his face as they rushed down the stairs,into the kitchen,and quickly kissed her again;"Don't look so caught."

"I will get you for this!"warned she him with a faint smile just before mary walked into the kitchen;"Hi,mama,what are you doing home?"

"I was a bit worried about you after this morning,so I came home to see if you were really okay."answered mary and looked surprised at adam;"Hi,adam,what brings you downhere?"

"Oh,I was just dropping in."smiled he and saw the warning look in m.j.'s eyes;"I wanted to see justin,but it seems that he's asleep."

"I'm glad you two have talked things out."said his ex's mother a bit suspiscious;"It's sweet of you to drive all the way downhere to see your son."

"Well,you know me."answered adam laughing;"I'm a sweet guy."

"What happened to your face?"asked mary all of a sudden when she noticed the bruise on adam's cheeck,where m.j. had hit him twice the night before;"Were you in a fight or something?"

"No,nothing as major as that."said he and tried not to laugh again;"I bumped into the showerdoor yesterday,mary,that's all."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 25

It was just past seven when mary was sitting next to vince at the hospital with her oldest daughter;"Adam and m.j. seem to be getting along rather well all of a sudden."

"I wonder why."said Kathleen suspicious;"Adam seemed so furious the last time that I saw him just after he found out about justin."

"M.j. said that they have talked things out and that he understands now why she didn't tell him."started her mother slowly when she saw that vince was opening his eyes again;"Hi,sweetheart,awake again?"

"I feel like have been asleep for weeks."answered he softly and seemed to be more awake then he'd been before since he woke up after his heartattack.

"That's probably because you have been sleeping for a long time,pops,you've been in the hospital for about a week now or so."smiled his daughter;"This is the first time that you've really been awake."

"Why were you just talking about m.j.?"asked vince all of a sudden;"I thought that I heard her name as I was waking up."

"You did."said mary hesitating;"She's back again,vince."

"Back?"started he shocked;"Since when?"

"Since a few days."answered his daughter quickly;"M.j. came back after she'd found out about you being in the hospital,pops."

"When were you going to tell me?"asked vince irritated;"Would you have told me if I hadn't overheard you saying her name,mary?"

"Ofcourse I would have,vince,but we all thought that it was better to wait a little while longer untill you were a bit stronger and more awake."said she softly;"Please calm down,honey,getting all worked up isn't good for your health and I don't want you to get another heartattack!"

"Mama is right."started their daughter slowly;"All that matters now is that m.j. is back again,pops,so now you can stop being so worried about her all the time about where she is or if she's okay."

Michael Hudson was still waiting for his wife to come home again when his daughter walked in;"Hi,Michael,what you doing here alone and where's donna?"

"She's with Nicole."answered her father looking up;"I was just waiting for her to come home."

"Did you two have another fight?"asked marlee worried;"Why is it so hard for you to accept vicky's relationship with jake,Michael,why don't you just do what donna is asking you to do?"

"Because I don't want to lie to Vicky by telling her that I'm okay with her seeing jake when I'm not."started he slowly;"I just can't accept something that is going to hurt my daughter."

"Would you rather keep fighting with your wife?"said his daughter;"Because donna is so set on not losing Vicky over this that she is't going to give in."

"I know."answered Michael when they suddenly heard the frontdoor and both walked to the hallway;"Donna…"

"Would you mind giving your father and I some privacvy?"asked donna as she turned towards marlee;"I need to talk to him."

"Sure."said their daughter and walked away;"Don't kill eachother off."

"I…."started Michael hesitating as he followed his wife into the livingroom;"I'm sorry about locking us up,donna,I didn't stop to think about what that would mean to you or what it would do to you either."

"I'm sorry too."answered she softly;"Maybe I brought that on myself by the way that I have been acting towards you lately."

"That still didn't give me the right to do what I did."said her husband surprised about the sudden change in his wife;"Are you okay?"

"No,not really."began donna sadly while the tears started falling down her face;"I don't want to lose Victoria over this,but I don't want to lose you either!"

"But you aren't going to lose me."answered Michael as he pulled donna into his arms and kissed her;"You're stuck with me forever,blackie."

At mary's place Cheryl was standing behind the counter while she was talking to dawn;"So,how is your pregnancy coming alone?"

"Fine."said she hesitating;"You and chad seem to be on pretty friendly terms lately."

"I've always been friends with chad since I have known him."answered Cheryl surprised;"Where is this coming from?"

"I was just wondering about something,Cheryl,I was curious about why you're still friendly with him after what happened with m.j. two years ago?"

"What's that suppose to mean?"asked she irritated;"I have never blamed chad for what happened between m.j. and adam,so what's this all about?"

"Nothing,I was just curious."answered dawn quickly;"That's all."

"What are you two talking about?"asked ben as he came out of the kitchen;"It looked pretty serious."

"Mind your own business."said his sister a bit angry and walked away to clean up a few tables;"I'm busy,ben."

"Cheryl…"started he surprised and turned towards dawn when his sister didn't respond;"What did I say?"

"It's not your fault,ben,I think I might have said something to irritate your sister."answered dawn;"She's angry with me and not you."

The next day sam was taking a shower,thinking about his wife's secretary and how he was going to solve that mess when he suddenly felt somebody's hands on his back and turned around;"Amanda…"

"Who else did you expect?"asked she teasing and put her arms around his neck while she gently kissed him;"My new secretary or something?"

"That isn't funny!"said her husband irritated as he pushed her away and got out of the shower;"I have to get dressed."

"It was just a joke."answered Amanda surprised as she started to get dressed too;"What's the matter with you,sam?"

"Nothing."started he quickly and sat down on the bed;"I'm just in a bad mood,honey."

"Why are you in such a bad mood then?"asked his wife worried;"Is it because of something that I did?"

"No,it's got nothing to do with you."answered sam and pulled her down on to his lap;"I didn't sleep so well,Amanda,that's all."

"But why didn't you sleep well then?"began she still worried;"Are you worried about something?"

"I just had a bit of a fight with my brother yesterday and that's why I had trouble sleeping."said sam lying as he kissed her;"But that's nothing for you to worry about,honey,because I'm going to go overthere today to talk things out."

Kathleen was having breakfast when her husband quickly came in and grabbed a cup of coffee;"Is that all you're having,cass?"

"Yes,I'm already running late as it is."answered he laughing when he saw the look on her face;"Don't worry,mom,I will send my assistant for something as soon as I get to the office."

"Very funny,cass."smiled his wife;"You're such a comedian."

"I know,honey,I can be pretty funny at times."

"Guess what mama wants to do."started Kathleen all of a sudden;"She wants to throw a party for m.j."

"A welcome back-party?"asked cass surprised;"When?"

"This weekend,cass.""answered his wife;"Now that paps is really awake again she thinks that it's time to show m.j. how happy we all are that she's back."

"You don't seem to be all that happy about it.'said he;"Don't you think that a welcome back-party is such a good idea or something?"

"I don't know,cass,I think that maybe a welcome back-party isn't the right thing to do."began Kathleen softly;"What m.j. did shouldn't be rewarded or something with a party,because she put our family through hell by staying away so long without even letting us know if she was still alive or not and she still won't tell us about what has been going on in her life while she was gone."

"Don't you think that it's about time to really talk this out with your sister?"asked her husband;"It might clear the air a bit."

"That wouldn't do any good,because everytime I open my mouth m.j. gets angry or upset with me and walks off again."

"Maybe you should go about it differently,Kathleen,because you keep attacking her everytime you see her and demanding that she tells you everything."said cass,knowing that by saying that his wife would probably get furious with him;"Maybe you should give her a chance to telling everything in her own time."

"Here we go again!"answered she angry and got up;"Why is everybody so damn understanding towards m.j. after what she did?"

"Why are you so angry at her?"asked her husband as he opened up the backdoor;"Think about that for a while,Kathleen!"

At the policestation adam was working behind his desk when shane walked in with ryan;"Hi,adam,you're here early."

"I was awake anyway,so why not come in here and getting started."said he looking up;"There still doesn't seem to be one single lead in this case."

"We know."answered shane as he sat down at his own desk;"These guys are really good at this,but I'm sure that we can catch them."

"Let's just hope that we do before they hurt or kill somebody else."started ryan slowly;"Because they have killed two people so far."

"Is there anything else that you remember from the robbery at the 24h store last week?"asked his friend and turned towards adam;"Sometimes things start to come back again after a couple of days,adam."

"No,there's nothing that I haven't already told you guys yet."answered he;"All I know is there where three white guys of normal heights,as well as normal weight as far as I could tell,and with no accents as far as I could hear and they were masked so I couldn't see their faces."

"You're suppose to be such a good detective,adam,is that all you can tell us?"asked ryan annoyed;"There's nothing that we have to go on with just that kind of information."

"What is your problem?"asked adam surprised;"Is this really about that fact that I can't tell you guys anymore about the robbers that will get us further or is this about your sister and what happened between us,ryan?"

"Shut up about susan!"warned he adam angry and grabbed his shirt;"You have no right to talk about her after the way that you hurt her!"

"She broke up with me,ryan!"answered the young cop irritated;"Not the other way around!"

"That's enough!"said shane as he pulled ryan away from adam;"This isn't the place or time to be fighting out your private things."

"Fine,shane!"answered his friend still angry and walked out of the office;"I need some fresh air."

"Is it really over between you and susan now?"asked he as he looked at adam after ryan had left;"Or are you going to try to get back together again with her?"

"No,it's really over between us."started adam hesitating;"I really care about susan and I really wanted to make this relationship work,but I guess that she was right about that not being enough."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was just past seven when mary was sitting next to vince at the hospital with her oldest daughter;"Adam and m.j. seem to be getting along rather well all of a sudden."

"I wonder why."said Kathleen suspicious;"Adam seemed so furious the last time that I saw him just after he found out about justin."

"M.j. said that they have talked things out and that he understands now why she didn't tell him."started her mother slowly when she saw that vince was opening his eyes again;"Hi,sweetheart,awake again?"

"I feel like have been asleep for weeks."answered he softly and seemed to be more awake then he'd been before since he woke up after his heartattack.

"That's probably because you have been sleeping for a long time,pops,you've been in the hospital for about a week now or so."smiled his daughter;"This is the first time that you've really been awake."

"Why were you just talking about m.j.?"asked vince all of a sudden;"I thought that I heard her name as I was waking up."

"You did."said mary hesitating;"She's back again,vince."

"Back?"started he shocked;"Since when?"

"Since a few days."answered his daughter quickly;"M.j. came back after she'd found out about you being in the hospital,pops."

"When were you going to tell me?"asked vince irritated;"Would you have told me if I hadn't overheard you saying her name,mary?"

"Ofcourse I would have,vince,but we all thought that it was better to wait a little while longer untill you were a bit stronger and more awake."said she softly;"Please calm down,honey,getting all worked up isn't good for your health and I don't want you to get another heartattack!"

"Mama is right."started their daughter slowly;"All that matters now is that m.j. is back again,pops,so now you can stop being so worried about her all the time about where she is or if she's okay."

Michael Hudson was still waiting for his wife to come home again when his daughter walked in;"Hi,Michael,what you doing here alone and where's donna?"

"She's with Nicole."answered her father looking up;"I was just waiting for her to come home."

"Did you two have another fight?"asked marlee worried;"Why is it so hard for you to accept vicky's relationship with jake,Michael,why don't you just do what donna is asking you to do?"

"Because I don't want to lie to Vicky by telling her that I'm okay with her seeing jake when I'm not."started he slowly;"I just can't accept something that is going to hurt my daughter."

"Would you rather keep fighting with your wife?"said his daughter;"Because donna is so set on not losing Vicky over this that she is't going to give in."

"I know."answered Michael when they suddenly heard the frontdoor and both walked to the hallway;"Donna…"

"Would you mind giving your father and I some privacvy?"asked donna as she turned towards marlee;"I need to talk to him."

"Sure."said their daughter and walked away;"Don't kill eachother off."

"I…."started Michael hesitating as he followed his wife into the livingroom;"I'm sorry about locking us up,donna,I didn't stop to think about what that would mean to you or what it would do to you either."

"I'm sorry too."answered she softly;"Maybe I brought that on myself by the way that I have been acting towards you lately."

"That still didn't give me the right to do what I did."said her husband surprised about the sudden change in his wife;"Are you okay?"

"No,not really."began donna sadly while the tears started falling down her face;"I don't want to lose Victoria over this,but I don't want to lose you either!"

"But you aren't going to lose me."answered Michael as he pulled donna into his arms and kissed her;"You're stuck with me forever,blackie."

At mary's place Cheryl was standing behind the counter while she was talking to dawn;"So,how is your pregnancy coming alone?"

"Fine."said she hesitating;"You and chad seem to be on pretty friendly terms lately."

"I've always been friends with chad since I have known him."answered Cheryl surprised;"Where is this coming from?"

"I was just wondering about something,Cheryl,I was curious about why you're still friendly with him after what happened with m.j. two years ago?"

"What's that suppose to mean?"asked she irritated;"I have never blamed chad for what happened between m.j. and adam,so what's this all about?"

"Nothing,I was just curious."answered dawn quickly;"That's all."

"What are you two talking about?"asked ben as he came out of the kitchen;"It looked pretty serious."

"Mind your own business."said his sister a bit angry and walked away to clean up a few tables;"I'm busy,ben."

"Cheryl…"started he surprised and turned towards dawn when his sister didn't respond;"What did I say?"

"It's not your fault,ben,I think I might have said something to irritate your sister."answered dawn;"She's angry with me and not you."

The next day sam was taking a shower,thinking about his wife's secretary and how he was going to solve that mess when he suddenly felt somebody's hands on his back and turned around;"Amanda…"

"Who else did you expect?"asked she teasing and put her arms around his neck while she gently kissed him;"My new secretary or something?"

"That isn't funny!"said her husband irritated as he pushed her away and got out of the shower;"I have to get dressed."

"It was just a joke."answered Amanda surprised as she started to get dressed too;"What's the matter with you,sam?"

"Nothing."started he quickly and sat down on the bed;"I'm just in a bad mood,honey."

"Why are you in such a bad mood then?"asked his wife worried;"Is it because of something that I did?"

"No,it's got nothing to do with you."answered sam and pulled her down on to his lap;"I didn't sleep so well,Amanda,that's all."

"But why didn't you sleep well then?"began she still worried;"Are you worried about something?"

"I just had a bit of a fight with my brother yesterday and that's why I had trouble sleeping."said sam lying as he kissed her;"But that's nothing for you to worry about,honey,because I'm going to go overthere today to talk things out."

Kathleen was having breakfast when her husband quickly came in and grabbed a cup of coffee;"Is that all you're having,cass?"

"Yes,I'm already running late as it is."answered he laughing when he saw the look on her face;"Don't worry,mom,I will send my assistant for something as soon as I get to the office."

"Very funny,cass."smiled his wife;"You're such a comedian."

"I know,honey,I can be pretty funny at times."

"Guess what mama wants to do."started Kathleen all of a sudden;"She wants to throw a party for m.j."

"A welcome back-party?"asked cass surprised;"When?"

"This weekend,cass.""answered his wife;"Now that paps is really awake again she thinks that it's time to show m.j. how happy we all are that she's back."

"You don't seem to be all that happy about it.'said he;"Don't you think that a welcome back-party is such a good idea or something?"

"I don't know,cass,I think that maybe a welcome back-party isn't the right thing to do."began Kathleen softly;"What m.j. did shouldn't be rewarded or something with a party,because she put our family through hell by staying away so long without even letting us know if she was still alive or not and she still won't tell us about what has been going on in her life while she was gone."

"Don't you think that it's about time to really talk this out with your sister?"asked her husband;"It might clear the air a bit."

"That wouldn't do any good,because everytime I open my mouth m.j. gets angry or upset with me and walks off again."

"Maybe you should go about it differently,Kathleen,because you keep attacking her everytime you see her and demanding that she tells you everything."said cass,knowing that by saying that his wife would probably get furious with him;"Maybe you should give her a chance to telling everything in her own time."

"Here we go again!"answered she angry and got up;"Why is everybody so damn understanding towards m.j. after what she did?"

"Why are you so angry at her?"asked her husband as he opened up the backdoor;"Think about that for a while,Kathleen!"

At the policestation adam was working behind his desk when shane walked in with ryan;"Hi,adam,you're here early."

"I was awake anyway,so why not come in here and getting started."said he looking up;"There still doesn't seem to be one single lead in this case."

"We know."answered shane as he sat down at his own desk;"These guys are really good at this,but I'm sure that we can catch them."

"Let's just hope that we do before they hurt or kill somebody else."started ryan slowly;"Because they have killed two people so far."

"Is there anything else that you remember from the robbery at the 24h store last week?"asked his friend and turned towards adam;"Sometimes things start to come back again after a couple of days,adam."

"No,there's nothing that I haven't already told you guys yet."answered he;"All I know is there where three white guys of normal heights,as well as normal weight as far as I could tell,and with no accents as far as I could hear and they were masked so I couldn't see their faces."

"You're suppose to be such a good detective,adam,is that all you can tell us?"asked ryan annoyed;"There's nothing that we have to go on with just that kind of information."

"What is your problem?"asked adam surprised;"Is this really about that fact that I can't tell you guys anymore about the robbers that will get us further or is this about your sister and what happened between us,ryan?"

"Shut up about susan!"warned he adam angry and grabbed his shirt;"You have no right to talk about her after the way that you hurt her!"

"She broke up with me,ryan!"answered the young cop irritated;"Not the other way around!"

"That's enough!"said shane as he pulled ryan away from adam;"This isn't the place or time to be fighting out your private things."

"Fine,shane!"answered his friend still angry and walked out of the office;"I need some fresh air."

"Is it really over between you and susan now?"asked he as he looked at adam after ryan had left;"Or are you going to try to get back together again with her?"

"No,it's really over between us."started adam hesitating;"I really care about susan and I really wanted to make this relationship work,but I guess that she was right about that not being enough."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Around noon jake was working in the kitchen at mary's place when his girlfriend came in;"Hey,baby,what brings you downhere?"

"I was getting bored at your place,so I decided to come downhere."answered she and sat down on the chair that was standing against the wall;"Why don't we go for a ride on your bike or something?"

"I wish that I could,but I have to work untill tonight."said jake as he pulled her into his arms;"But we can go for a ride after my shift,Vicky."

"No,I want to go now,jake!"started his girlfriend irritated and pushed him away;"I'm bored now."

"Then why don't you call up your sister and clear the air between the two of you,so that you can do something with her?"answered he;"I'm sure that marlee will listen to you if you were to call her up."

"Are you getting tired of me already?"asked Vicky angry;"If you want me to go away all you have to do is say so and I'll be gone."

"That's not what I meant!"said her boyfriend tired as he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her;"I love having you around all the time,Vicky,but I can see how much you miss spending time with your sister and being able to go for a ride on your horse and the way that you can get all of that back again is by calling up your sister to work things out between you and your family."

"Maybe you're right."answered she as she kissed him back;"How do you keep putting up with me while I'm being such a bitch to you,jake?"

"Probaly because I'm such a nice guy."smiled jake teasing;"But it isn't always easy."

"That isn't funny,jake ."laughed his girlfriend while she hit him softly against his stomach;"I'm not that bad!"

"Sometimes you are."answered he laughing too and kissed her again;"But I love every side of you,including your moods!"

At the 's mary just got home from the hospital and was looking for m.j. when she finally found her laying on the couch,where she'd fallen asleep,so she turned around and went back into the kitchen when cass walked in;"Hi,cass,what brings you downhere and where are kathleen and ray?"

"Kathleen is at home with ray and she doesn't know that I came downhere."started cass hesitating;"Where is m.j.?"

"She's asleep on the couch."saud his mother-in-law surprised;"Why didn't you tell Kathleen that you were coming downhere,cass,is everything okay?"

"I didn't tell her because I'm worried about her and I wanted to talk to you about what is going on between your two oldest daughters,mary."answered he;"Kathleen seems really angry at m.j. for some reason and it's almost as if she's angry at her for coming back."

"No,I don't think that is it,cass,I think that Kathleen feels like m.j. can get away with almost anything and because nobody except for her seems to be angry at her for staying away so long while everybody was really worried about her."started mary softly when they suddenly heard a loud scream coming from the livingroom and they both jumped up;"That's m.j."

"Is everything okay?"asked her son-in-law worried as he ran into the livingroom with mary and saw m.j. sitting on the couch,all covered in sweat and with her eyes wide open while she looked as white as a sheet;"M.j….?"

"You're shivering all over."said mary worried when she put her arm around her daughter to comfort her;"What's wrong,honey?"

"Nothing."answered she lying as she got up and grabbed her cain;"I just had a bad dream,mama,that's all."

"What about?"asked her mother not convinced;"It must have been pretty bad to make you scream like that."

"I said that it was nothing!"said m.j. irritated and turned towards cass who was staring at her;"What are you looking at,cass,don't you believe me?"

"I was just wondering who you were trying to convince here,m.j."began her brother-in-law slowly;"Us or yourself?"

"Just leave me alone!"answered she angry and went straight up to her room,slamming the door shut behind her;"Mind your own business!"

"What is going on with her?"asked mary a bit shocked about the way her daughter was acting as she turned towards cass;"I have never seen her act like this before."

"Neither have i."said her son-in-law also worried;"I'd love to know what happened to her in new York,because whatever it was it's giving her terrible nightmares right now."

Chad was laying on the couch in his hotelroom with his girlfriend;"What's up with you,Cheryl,eversince you got here you have hardly said two words."

"It's your sister."started she hesitating;"I think that she's starting to suspect something."

"Why do you think that?"asked chad surprised;"Did she say something?"

"Yes,it was really strange."answered his girlfriend;"Lastnight she suddenly started talking about the fact that she'd noticed that you and I were being really friendly towards eachother lately and then she asked me why I did even like you after what had happened two years ago."

"So,what did you tell her after she'd asked you that?"

"I told her that I have never blamed you for what had happened between my sister and adam,chad,and that we have always been friends since we met."said Cheryl;"And then I asked her what that was all about."

"What did she say?"asked he curious;"Do you really think that she might know something?"

"Yes,chad,I really do."answered his girlfriend annoyed;"She just said that she was a bit curious,but I think that she was trying to find out if there's something going on between us."

"Maybe you're right."began chad as he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her;"But dawn can try to find out all she wants,baby,but she won't find out anything that we don't want her to find out."

At the Hudson-company Michael had just come back from lunch with his wife when scott walked into his office;"I think that I might have a lead,Michael."

"What kind of lead?"asked he looking up;"What is it?"

"I think that I know how regioneld is able to steal deals away from you."answered scott as he closed the door behind him;"You've got a serious leak right here in your firm."

"That's impossible."said his friend irritated;"I can't believe that an employe of mine would betray me like that,scott."

"I know that it must be hard to believe that,but you'd better believe it."started he slowly;"The detective that our firm has hired for you found out that one of your employes has got a secret bankaccount and that he's been receiving a lot of money on that account."

"Who is it?"asked Michael shocked;"Who is working with regioneld?"

"Gregory daniels."answered his friend;"He has been working for you since a little over a year or so."

"Are you trying to tell me that he has been working for regioneld the whole time?"

"That's probably the only reason why he started working here."

"But I know his father and I've known greg since he was just a kid,scott,this is crazy."

"Kids don't always grow up to be like their parents,Michael."said scott with a faint smile;"Look at me and regioneld."

"Well,I'm going to make sure that he will regret ever betraying me like that!"answered Michael angry as he got up;"Nobody does that to me and gets away with it!"

It was just past three when m.j. just woke up in her bed,after having fallen asleep again earlier and tried to stop shaking again after another nightmare.

Just as she wanted to take a shower her cellphone starting ringing and on the display she saw it was aaron who was calling her,so at first she hesitated on wether or not she should pick up when she decided to answer after all;"Hi,aaron."

"Hey,baby."heard she him saying on the other end of the line;"How are things downthere with you and justin and your family?"

"Everybody is doing fine here."answered she;"How are things in there?"

"They are keeping me pretty busy."said aaron;"I wish I could fly back tonight because I'm really missing you and justin like crazy."

"We miss you too."started m.j. feeling guilty and quickly changed the subject;"How is the rest doing downthere,aaron?"

"They're all doing great,but they're really missing you and asking me when you will be back again."answered he and noticed that m.j. was acting a bit strange;"Are you sure that everything is okay there?"

"Ofcourse everything's okay,aaron,why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know,honey,you sound a bit strange."answered he worried;"Did something happen while I have been away?"

"No,nothing has happened and I'm fine!"said m.j. lying;"Look,aaron,I have to go because justin is calling for me,so bye."

"I love you and i….."started aaron on the other end of the line,but was surprised when m.j. had hung up on him.

"Why does my life always have to be so damn complicated?"said m.j. to herself as she sat down on the bed;"Damn it!"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

At the hudson's donna was sitting outside with her sister,who'd been feeling sick all day long;"Maybe you should see a doctor."

"No,I don't have to see a doctor."answered Nicole softly;"Not that kind of doctor."

"Why not?"asked her sister worried;"What is wrong with you then,nicole?"

"I'm about two weeks late and the pregnancy-test that I did this morning was positive."started she with tears in her eyes;"What am I going to do now,donna?"

"But that's great,Nicole."smiled donna and kissed her on the cheecks,but was surprised when her sister began to cry;"Isn't shane happy about it or aren't you happy about it?"

"Shane doesn't know yet."answered she;"I haven't told him yet."

"Why not?"started her sister confused;"Are you going to tell him tonight?"

"No,I'm not."answered Nicole hesitating;"I don't know if I should tell him at all,because what if he gets mad at me or what if he doesn't want the baby?"

"He's got no right to get mad at you because it takes two people to make a baby."said her sister;""But I have seen the way that shane looks at you,Nicole,that man loves you and I'm sure that he will be thrilled about this."

"But what if he's not?"asked she again;"What am I going to do then?"

"If he really doesn't want this baby and you do then you will raise your baby by yourself."answered donna;"I will help you through it every step of the way and so will Michael and the girls,so no matter what you don't have to do this all alone."

On the beach Vicky was walking in the sand with her twinsister,talking about jake;"I know that you're angry at me for getting involved with him,but I didn't plan this and I also didn't do this to hurt you or back at you for something."

"After I calmed down a bit I realized that I was more angry about you lying to me about it then I was about you seeing jake."answered marlee;"Ofcourse I'm still not happy with two of you being after what he did to me and I'm also worried that he might do the same thing to you,but it's your life and if this is what you really want then I'm happy for you."

"I'm happy to hear you say that,because I really love jake and this whole situation is tearing me apart."said her sister;"Donna also came by jake's to tell me that she's accepting our relationship,marlee."

"I'm afraid that Michael isn't going to accept jake as your boyfriend,because no matter how hard donna has been trying he still won't go over to you to tell you that he's accepted your relationship with jake."started she slowly;"I have tried to change his mind too,but you know what he can be like when he sets his mind to something."

"I know."answered Vicky softly;"I'd just wish that he would realize that being with jake is the only thing that makes me happy and that he's good for me."

"Maybe he will accept that if you give him some time."said her twinsister;"I'm just glad that we have sorted things out between us now and that we're on speaking terms again,vicky,because I have really missed you."

"So have i."smiled she as she gave her sister a hug;"I was already driving jake crazy because I was so bored and acting like such a bitch."

That night Kathleen was working at mary's place when her husband came in and pulled her into his arms;"Hey,baby."

"I'm working,cass!"said she and pulled away from cass;"Can't you see that?"

"Come on,honey,you can't be still angry with me now."whispered her husband into her ear as he pulled her right back into his arms,while he kissed her neck;"I'm way too sweet to stay angry at for long."

"Maybe."smiled Kathleen as she turned around;"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you and don't worry because mrs. Jones is watching ray for a while."answered he and sat down at the counter;"Are we okay now?"

"Sure."laughed his wife;"But only for this once."

"Did your mother tell you about what happened at the house earlier today?"asked her husband slowly just as adam sat down next to him;"Hi,adam,what brings you downhere?"

"Where's susan,adam,is she still at the hospital?"said Kathleen surprised to see adam alone again;"I haven't seen you two together in a while."

"Haven't you guys heard the news yet?"started he hesitating;"She broke up with me the day after I got back from new York."

"We had no idea."answered his friend;"Did she break up with you because of m.j.?"

"She happen to be at the airport as we were coming back to baycity and when she saw m.j. with me that was a sign for her that it was better to take a break from eachother."said adam;"What were you two talking about when I walked in anyway,cass,did something happen at mary & vince's house?"

"That's what I'd like to know too."answered Kathleen as she turned towards cass;"What happened and how did you hear about it,cass?"

"Well,I happen to be there when it happened."started he a bit uncomfortable;"I was talking to your mother in the kitchen and m.j. had fallen asleep on the couch in the livingroom when all of a sudden we heard her screaming,so we rushed over to her and it turns out she'd had a nightmare or something."

"That must have been some nightmare."said adam worried;"What did she say about it?"

"What do you think?"asked his friend;"M.j. said that it was just a bad dream and that everything was just fine."

"How fine can things be if she's having nightmares that make her wake up screaming?"started Kathleen softly;"This isn't normal,cass,something must have happened to her in new York."

"We could ask your sister about it,but I doubt if she would tell us anything since she keeps trying to avoid that subject or walks away angry."said he and turned towards adam;"Did m.j. say anything to you while you two were still in new York or has she said anything since then?"

"No,all she has said was that she'd had a little accident and that she had to use a cain for a while."answered his friend uncomfortable;"Knowing m.j. you can probably forget it if she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Adam is right,cass,we will just have to hope that she starts talking about it on her own."said Kathleen;"Maybe that nightmare had nothing to do with new York and maybe it was just a nightmare."

"Do you really believe that?"asked her husband;"Do you really believe that everything is fine with your sister and that she isn't hiding something terrible?"

Jake walked into his place,tired from working all day,and didn't know what kind of mood his girlfriend was going to be in when she jumped into his arms and kissed him as soon as he walked into the livingroom;"Hey,what's this for?"

"For being the greatest boyfriend ever and for putting up with me."smiled Vicky as she kissed him again;"You're the best,jake."

"Thanks."laughed he and sat down with her still in his arms;"What brought this on?"

"I called marlee and we had a good talk."answered his girlfriend;"She's still not happy with you,jake,but she's willing to accept our relationship because it's what makes me happy."

"So does that mean that everything is okay between the two of you again?"asked jake surprised;"Does she really accept me as your boyfriend,vicky?"

"Yes,she said so herself."started she hesitating;"Marlee also said that Michael still doesn't want to accept it,but she thinks that he will in time."

"She's probably right,baby,just give him some more time."answered her boyfriend;"Atleast the rest of your family is accepting us together,so that's a good start."

"It's great."smiled Vicky again as she kissed him and began to open up his shirt;"You're great."

At the 's m.j. was up in her room,taking another painkiller,when there was a knock on the door;"I'm coming."

"What is it?"asked she annoyed and was surprised to see adam standing there;"What are you doing here,adam,are you insane coming up here while my mother is at home?"

"Relax."laughed her boyfriend as he walked into her bedroom while he gently kissed her after he closed the door;"Your mother told me to go straight up to your bedroom when I told her that I came to talk to you about spending some time with justin,so I don't think that she's suspecting anything."

"But this still isn't a good idea,adam,I don't want aaron to find out!"began m.j. again when she started to feel lightheaded when the painkillers began to do their job and sat down on the bed;"Besides,I was just about to go to bed."

"Sounds like a great idea."smiled he as he leaned forwards and saw her eyes when he suddenly remembered what Jamie had told him the night of the robbery about m.j.'s eyes;"Did you just take something?"

"What?"asked his girlfriend surprised as she pushed him away a bit angry;"What are you talking about?"

"Your eyes are bigger then usually and according to Jamie that means that you've taken something and I know that there is something going on that you're not telling me!"

"Jamie told you about me taking painkillers,adam,didn't he?"started m.j. furious;"He had no right to do that!"

"Painkillers?"asked he shocked;"No,when I talked to him the night of the robbery he said that he thought that you were on drugs and the next morning when he came to see me he said that he'd been wrong about that,but Jamie never said anything about painkillers."

"I'm telling you the same thing as I told that cousin of yours!"said his girlfriend slowly;"That this my business and that you should both stay out of it!"

"But if you're taking painkillers then there must be something wrong,m.j.!"answered adam still a bit shocked;"Can't you please just tell me what is going on with you?"

"Could you please just go away and leave me alone?"asked she softly and felt like even more lightheaded;"I don't need this right now,so please just go!"

"Okay,but we aren't finished about this yet!"warned her boyfriend her slowly as he walked out of her room and turned around just before he closed the door behind him;"I want to know what is going on with you and I will find that out!"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The next morning Nicole was getting dressed while shane was still asleep when all of a sudden he woke up and looked confused at her;"Hey,what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"asked she irritated;"I'm getting dressed."

"I can see that."said shane surprised about her mood;"But why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you were still asleep."answered his girlfriend and felt guilty about being so mean to him when she saw the worried look in his eyes,so she sat down on the bed;"You seemed so sound asleep that I didn't have the heart to wake you up,shane,because you've been working so hard lately that you really need your sleep."

"I need you too,nicky."smiled he as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her;"Where were you sneaking off to anyway?"

"To work."said nicole and tried to get away from shane;"Let go off me,shane,I have a store to run."

"So?"asked her boyfriend teasing and lay down on top of her;"I have to go to the station,nicky,but I don't want to go yet."

"But I have to go because who else is going to open up my store?"laughed she,realizing that it was a losing battle and that they were both going to end up late for work;"Who's going to let the customers in?"

"Those customers can wait."smiled shane as he began to open up her shirt;"If you'd woken me up earlier then you wouldn't be in this mess right now,baby."

"Oh,so this is my fault?"asked his girlfriend teasing and kissed him back;"What is the strong cop going to do with me?"

"That's a surprise."smiled shane as they began making out….

At the cory's mac was getting something out of his study before he went to work when his daughter came in and closed the door behind her;"Can I talk to you for a minute,dad?"

"Is it important?"asked mac a bit surprised;"I have to be at brava in twenty minutes."

"Yes,dad,I think that it's really important because it's about mom."answered his daughter as she sat down;"Haven't you noticed a change in her lately?"

"Just a bit."said he slowly;"But it's probably because your mother has been working a lot lately and maybe it's just because she's tired."

"How can you say that?"asked Amanda annoyed;"Don't tell me that you haven't noticed that she hasn't been looking all that well lately and that you haven't seen her taking something when she thinks that nobody is looking!"

"Ofcourse I have noticed those things,honey,but I'm not her father and I can't tell your mother when to see a doctor or not."answered her father uncomfortable;"If she says that she's okay then we will have no other choice then to believe her,Amanda."

"But what if there really is something wrong with her and she's just doesn't want to tell us about it for some stupid reason?"said she worried;"Maybe she should go and see a doctor."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"asked mac;"Would that make you feel better,Amanda?"

"Yes,I think so."answered she happy and kissed mack on his cheeck;"Thanks,dad."

Adam was about to go to the policestation when m.j. showed up at his doorstep;"Can I please come in?"

"Ofcourse."said he surprised;"What are you doing here so early?"

"I felt really bad about lastnight and I had to see you."answered m.j. as they walked into the livingroom;"I'm sorry,adam."

"It's okay,m.j."smiled her boyfriend as he took her into his arms;"I could have gone about it another way lastnight,so I'm sorry too."

"I still can't believe that Jamie talked to you about about me behind my back."started she hesitating;"He had no right to do that."

"Would you rather have had him going to your family that night about his suspicions?"asked adam;"He was worried about you taking drugs because it looked like that was what had caused you to pass out like that and he didn't want to go with that to your family,so he came to me."

"But that still doesn't give him the right to tell you that I'm taking drugs or atleast that he thought I was taking drugs."answered his girlfriend annoyed and pulled away from adam;"I still can't believe that you all thought that I was on drugs,adam!"

"I didn't think that you were on drugs and that's what I told Jamie that night."

"You thought that I was on drugs or something lastnight,adam,didn't you?"

"I was just worried about you,but I had no idea that you were on painkillers."began he and tried to stay calm;"How long have you been taking them and are you addicted to them or something?"

"Go to hell,adam cory!"yelled m.j. furious and walked straight towards the frontdoor;"Just mind your own business!"

"Fine!"yelled adam on after her when he heard the frontdoor being slammed shut;"Damn it!"

It was almost lunchtime when Michael walked in at tops and ran into Vicky who was there to have lunch with marlee;"Hi,Michael."

"Hi,honey."said he a bit uncomfortable;"How are you?"

"Fine."answered his daughter;"And you?"

"I can't complain,Vicky,I'm doing okay."started Michael hesitating and looked around;"I'm here to have lunch with donna,but she doesn't seem to be here yet."

"I was suppose to meet marlee here for lunch,but she seems to be running late too."said she slowly;"You don't suppose that they set us up,Michael,do you?"

"They wouldn't dare."answered her father;"Would they?"

"Hello,you two."smiled felica as she came towards them;"Your table is ready."

"Our table?"asked Vicky surprised;"But I'm here to have lunch with marlee and Michael is here to have lunch with donna."

"I know,honey,but they both couldn't make it and asked me to set a table for you two."answered her friend and showed them to their table;"I'm just doing what they've asked me to do."

"They set us up and we fell for it."started Michael slowly and looked at his daughter;"I'm hungry,Vicky,how about you?"

"So am i."smiled she;"As long as we're here now anyway we might as well sit down,Michael."

"Why not."laughed her father;"I have never turned down the chance to have lunch with a beautyfull youngwoman."

At the hospital mary was sitting next to vince's bed when ben came in;"Hi,guys."

"Hi,ben."said vince looking up;"How are things going at mary's place?"

"Vince!"warned mary him annoyed;"I have already told you that you aren't suppose to worry about that right now."

"I'm not worried,mary,I was just asking out of curiousity."answered he;"That's all."

"Well,everything's fine at mary's place,dad,so don't worry."smiled ben;"You just focus on getting better again."

"Where is m.j. now?"asked his father;"Is she going to stay home or does she want to go back to new York again?"

"I don't know,vince,I have no idea what she wants to do."answered mary slowly;"All that matters right now is that she's here with her family and that she's okay."

"I hope that she doesn't go back to new York."said he hesitating;"I don't think that new York did her a lot of good."

"Why do you say that,dad?"asked his son surprised;"Do you think that she doesn't look good or something?"

"She seems different somehow."started vince slowly;"Almost just like when she came back from Chicago all those years ago or maybe even worse this time around."

"You're just looking for things to worry about,vince ."said mary quickly;"Just focus on getting better again and don't go looking for things that aren't there."

At brava mac was sitting in his wife's office;"You really have to tell her,Rachel,you have to tell all of your kids!"

"No,I don't!"answered his wife annoyed;"Not yet!"

"But she knows that there is something going on with you!"started mac again;"She told me so herself this morning,rachel."

"Maybe Amanda thinks that there is something going on,but she doesn't what it is and I'm not going to tell her!"answered she;"Please try to understand why I don't want anybody to know about this yet,mac,if they were to know that I'm dying then it would change the way that they're acting towards me and I don't want that."

"What if they were to find out by themselves?"asked her husband;"Don't you think that they would like to hear something like this from you?"

"Ofcourse they would and I will tell them,mac,but not untill I have no other choice then to tell them the truth."said Rachel;"I don't want them to know that I'm dying yet."

"Okay."answered he and put his arms around his wife to comfort her;"If you don't want them to know yet then we won't tell them."

That afternoon adam was working at the policestation when Kathleen walked in;"Hi,adam."

"Kathleen?"said he surprised to see her there;"What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you about my sister."answered his friend;"What happened this morning."

"Why?"asked adam confused;"Why do you think that something happened this morning?"

"According to mama m.j. went to see you about something this morning and came back in a really bad mood,adam,so something must have happened at your place."

"So m.j.'s bad mood is suppose to be my fault?"started he irritated;"Is that what she told you guys?"

"No,m.j. didn't say anything,adam,she never does."said Kathleen softly;"I'm not here to point the finger at you or anything,but I'm just worried about my sister and so is the rest of my family."

"All that happened was that we didn't agree on something and m.j. got all mad at me,Kathleen,that's all."

"It's about time that she's came clean about whatever happened to her in new York because I think that we have a right to know."answered she irritated;"Everybody keeps saying that we should give her some time to tell us when she's ready,but I don't think that she will ever tell us about that."

"But what's the use in pushing her to tell the truth?"asked adam tired;"As soon as m.j. gets pushed too hard she will run off again,so maybe it's better to let her tell everything in her own time."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

At the hudson's Michael had just come home from his office when he ran into his wife;"You set me up at lunch,donna!"

"I know and I'm sorry,Michael,but marlee and I both thought that something had to be done."started she hesitating;"So,how did it go?"

"It went fine."answered her husband and walked away;"I will be in my study."

"Is that all you can say?"asked donna surprised as she followed him;"What did you and Victoria talk about,michael?"

"Call her up if you want to know what we talked about."said he teasing;"If you wanted to know what we'd talk about then you should have had lunch with us at tops,honey,then you would have heard everything first hand."

"Stop teasing me and just tell me how it went."began his wife annoyed;"Did you and Victoria sort things out?"

"Well,I'm still not happy with her choice of men,but I did promise her that I would try to act normal around jake and that I wouldn't try to kill him."smiled Michael as he pulled donna into his arms;'Is that what you wanted to hear,donna?"

"So,everything is back to normal again?"asked she softly;"Victoria will come home again?"

"I don't know if she wants to move back home again,but she won't stay away from here anymore."said her husband and kissed her;"So you don't have to be mad at me anymore."

Chad was sitting behind the piano at tops when his sister sat down next to him;"Hi,chad."

"Hi,dawn."said he without looking up;"What brings you downhere on your day off?"

"I came to see how my big brother was doing."started his sister slowly;"You seem pretty happy these last three or four months."

"So,what's your point?"asked chad suspicious;"If you want to ask me something then just ask me,dawn,don't beat around the bush."

"Allright."answered she hesitating;"Are you seeing anybody?"

"Even if I was then I wouldn't tell you unless I was ready to tell,because that's my business."said her brother;"Why don't you go around bugging Cheryl while she's got enough on her mind right now?"

"Did Cheryl tell you about that?"began dawn surprised;"I wasn't bugging her,chad,I was just curious about why she seems to be getting along with you so well while the rest of the still think that you had something to do with what happened between adam and m.j."

"Cheryl and I have always been friends,dawn,I don't see why that should have changed after m.j. left town and neither does Cheryl."answered he irritated;"So if you want to know something then you can come straight to me instead of go bugging Cheryl with it,because she has got enough on her mind with everything that has been going on lately!"

"Fine."said his sister softly as she got up again and walked away;"I'm sorry and it will never happen again."

It was already half-past-seven when mac came home and ran into his daughter as he wanted go into the livingroom;"Hi,honey,where's your husband?"  
"Sam's in the shower,dad,we're going out."said Amanda;"Did you talk to mom?"

"Yes,I did."answered he a bit uncomfortable;"She said that she was feeling fine and I've got no reason to doubt her,honey,so I think that you don't have to worry about your mother anymore."

"Do you really think that she's telling you the truth,dad?"asked she surprised;"Do you really expect mom to tell you the truth if there is something wrong with her?"

"I don't see why your mother would lie to me about that,Amanda,so I don't understand why you seem to think that she would."said mac and hated lying to his daughter,but he also knew that he had to respect his wife's decision about not wanting to tell anybody yet about her illness;"Your mother is fine and there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm sorry,dad,but I can't believe that mom is really fine and I also can't believe that you're willing to take her word on that either."

"Why are you so convinced that there is something wrong with your mother?"asked her father tired;"Why can't you just believe your mother when she says that she's fine?"

"I can't because I know mom well enough to know when there's something going on with her and that's why I just don't understand why you do believe her,dad,because you know her better then I do."answered Amanda irritated;"Unless you know what is wrong with her and just don't want to tell me."

"That's crazy,Amanda,why would I keep something like that from you?"said he lying and tried to put on a straight face;"You worry too much."

"I know that there is something wrong with mom and I'm going to find out what it is,dad!"started his daughter slowly as she walked away;"I will find that out!"

Adam was walking along the beach,feeling miserable about what had happened that morning,when he saw m.j. sitting in the sand infront of him and sat down next to her;"Is this seat taken?"

"What do you want?"asked she irritated;"I don't need you giving me the third degree again,adam,so just leave me alone!"

"Hey,take it easy."said her boyfriend surprised;"I'm not here to give you the third degree or anything else."

"I still can't believe that you thought that I was on drugs!"started m.j. slowly;"How could you think that?"

"Jamie thought that and not me!"answered adam;"Look,I'm sorry about this morning and you don't have to tell me anything that you're not ready for,m.j."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you,adam,but I just can't right now."said his girlfriend softly;"It's too hard."

"It's okay."smiled he and gently kissed her;"I can wait untill you're ready to tell me."

"You do believe me when I'm telling you that I'm not on drugs,adam,don't you?"

"Ofcourse I do,m.j."said adam as he got up and pulled her up with him while he put his arms around her waist;"Do you want to go back to my place for a while or do you have to go back to your parents' house?"

"No,they aren't expecting me back for a while yet."answered she and quickly kissed him before she pulled away from him,scared that somebody might see them like that;"Let's go back to your place."

"If you ever feel like talking about whatever it is that happened in new York…."started her boyfriend hesitating as they began walking towards his car;"You can call me day or night!"

"Can we please just drop it now?"asked m.j. annoyed again;"Why is it so important for everybody to know what happened in new York,adam?"

"Because we can all see that there is something going on with you and we're worried about you."answered he and pulled her into his arms as he kissed her again;"But it's okay,baby,you don't have to tell me anything untill you're ready."

At tops chad was talking to felica when scott came up to them,looking pretty angry;"What did you say to my wife?"

"Calm down,scott,what are you talking about?"asked felica surprised;'What is wrong with dawn?"

"I know that my wife came downhere to talk to her brother earlier and when I came home a little while I found her really upset,but she wouldn't tell me what had happened."said her friend as he turned towards chad again;"What did you say or do to her?"

"I didn't do anything."answered he annoyed;"Why are you so sure that it's my fault?"

"Because dawn was fine when I left her,but she wasn't when I came home and it must have had something to do with her seeing you!"started scott angry;"So it must your fault!"

"All I said was that if dawn wants to know something about what I'm doing or who I'm seeing then she should ask me instead of Cheryl!"said his brother-in-law;"If that might have upset her then I'm sorry,scott,that wasn't my intention."

"My wife is pregnant and she doesn't need you upsetting her!"warned he chad;"So just stay away from her!"

"Are you telling me to stay away from my sister?"asked chad stuned;"Are you nuts or something?"

"Calm down,boys."started felica worried as she turned towards scott;"Chad is right,scott,you can't just tell him to stay away from his sister."

"I sure as hell can if he's upsetting my wife!"yelled her friend angry and walked away;"I don't want her upset again!"

Jake was laying in bed with his girlfriend;"So,does this mean that you're going to go home again now that you've sorted things out with your dad and the rest of the family."

"I don't know."answered Vicky hesitating;"Do you want me to go home again?"

"Ofcourse not."started her boyfriend slowly;"I want you to do what feels right for you,Vicky."

"What's that suppose to mean?"asked she irritated;"That sounds like you want me to move back home again,but that you're afraid to tell me,jake,if you want me to go away then you can just tell me."

"Don't put words into my mouth,Vicky!"answered jake frustrated with Vicky and sat straight up in bed;"I don't want you to move out of here again,because I love youi and it's been great living together,but I do want you to stay here with me for all the right reasons and I have already told you that once before!"

"Do you really mean that?"started his girlfriend surprised;"Do you really want me to stay?"

"Only if you want to for the right reasons and not because you don't want to go back to your family."said he and lay down on top of her;"Do you want to move in with me for real?"

"Ofcourse I do."smiled Vicky as she kissed him;"I love you,jake !"

The next morning Kathleen was feeding her son when cass walked into the kitchen;"Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning."said his wife looking up;"What time do you have to be at the office,cass?"

"In about half-an-hour or so."answered he;"Is everything ready for tomorrow-night?"

"Yes,but I'm not so sure if it's such a good idea."started Kathleen slowly;"Maybe m.j. doesn't want a surprise-party."

"Why wouldn't she want a party,Kathleen?"asked her husband;"It might just be the thing to make your sister feel more at home again."

"Maybe you're right,cass,but what if you're wrong and she doesn't like it?"

"Then she can go to bed early or something."laughed cass;"Don't worry so much,honey,it will be great."

"Do you think that we should ask adam to come?"asked his wife suddenly;"Do you think that m.j. would want him there,cass?"

"I don't see why she wouldn't."answered he;"They seem to be getting along pretty well lately."

"What's that suppose to mean,cass?"

"Nothing,honey."said her husband quickly;"I didn't mean anything by it."

"Yes,you did or else you wouldn't have said it."answered Kathleen irritated;"Do you think that there's a reason why they're suddenly getting along so well?"

"Ofcourse not,Kathleen!"started cass slowly;"I didn't mean anything by it,so please can we just talk about something else?"

At the hudson's Michael was just having breakfast with his family when Vicky came in;"Goodmorning,guys."

"Goodmorning,Victoria."smiled donna happy to see her;"What brings you downhere so early?"

"No real reason."said her daughter as she turned towards her twinsister;"Do you have time for a ride on our horses?"

"Sure."answered marlee looking up;"Where is your boyfriend,Vicky,why didn't he come with you?"

"Jake didn't want to come with me unless he was sure that he was welcome here."started she slowly;"He didn't wanna cause any problems."

"Ofcourse jake's welcome here."said her mother quickly as she gave her husband a warning look when she saw his face;"Are you going to move back home again now that this whole mess is behind us?"

"Why don't we give Vicky a chance to make up her mind about that in her own time,donna,instead of pushing her to come back again."answered Michael when he saw how uncomfortable his daughter was looking and turned towards her;"We would love for you to come home again,but it's your decision and whatever you decide is okay with us."

Sam was walking into his office when he saw his wife's secretary sitting behind his desk;"What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you."said she;"Why else would I be in your office,Sammy?"

"Don't call me that,tara,what do you want?"asked sam annoyed as he pulled her out of his chair and away from his desk;"Why are you here?"

"Is that any way to greet me?"smiled his wife's secretary teasing;"Don't you think that you should be a bit more nice to me?"

"No,I don't!"answered sam;"What are you going to do if I'm not nice to you,tara,tekll my wife about our one night-stand?"

"Who knows."laughed tara and put her arms around his neck;"What would it be worth to you to keep me from telling your wife about us,sam?"

"There is no use and I don't think that you would really tell Amanda about what happened between you and me,because it would also mean that you'd be out of a job."started he furious as he pushed her away from him;"Get out of my office!"

"I wouldn't be so sure that I wouldn't tell your wife about our one night-stand because I think you've got a lot more to lose then I do."answered his wife's secretary while she walked towards the door;"But don't worry,baby,I'm not going to tell your wife anything yet."

"What do you want from me?"asked sam and grabbed her arm;"Are you try to blackmail me or something,tara?"

"I'm not trying to do anything,sam,not yet anyway."smiled she;"I will let you know what I want and when I want it."

"Damn it!"said he angry and frustrated as tara left his office and hit his hand hard against his desk;"This is just great!"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Just before lunchtime dawn walked into tops and sat down next to her brother,who was sitting at the bar;"I'm sorry about asking Cheryl all those things,chad,I will come to you next time I want to know something."

"Does your husband know that you're downhere?"asked chad looking up;"I don't think he would be all that happy if he knew that you were with me right now."

"Why wouldn't scott be happy about me being here with you?"started his sister confused;"Why,chad?"

"Scott doesn't want me to come near you while you're pregnant because of the risk of me upsetting you like I did yesterday."answered he annoyed;"He came downhere lastnight and warned me to stay away from you."

"He did what?"said dawn a bit shocked;"Why would scott do something as stupid as that?"

"He said that I'd upset you and that it wasn't good for you right now."began her brother slowly;"You can ask felica if you don't believe me,dawn,because she was with me when your husband told me to stay away from you."

"Scott had no right to do that!"answered she angry and got up again;"He can't tell you that you can't see me anymore as long as I'm pregnant!"

"Calm down a bit."warned chad his sister worried and grabbed her arm;"I'm not going to let you go anywhere while you're like this!"

"But scott can't just come downhere and tell you to stay away from me just because I was a little bit upset after our talk yesterday."said his sister still angry;"He doesn't get to decide who can or can't see me,chad!"

"No,he can't,but scott probably only did what he thought was the best thing to do and because he's worried about you and your baby."answered he;"I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in his shoes,so don't be too hard on him."

"How can you defend him like that after what he did?"asked dawn confused;"There's no excuse for what scott did!"

"Please,dawn,I don't want to cause any problems for you two at a time like this."started her brother slowly;"Just let it go!"

"No,I can't."answered she and walked away;"I can't let scott get away with something like this."

At the hospital m.j. was there to see vince with her mother when they ran into Jamie,who stopped her;"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I'll go on ahead to your father's room."said mary and walked further;"Bye,Jamie."

"Bye,mary."answered the young doctor as he turned towards m.j. again;"How are you feeling?"

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"asked she surprised;"To ask me how I'm feeling?"

"No,I also wanted to ask you to let me give you a full check-up."started Jamie slowly;"To see how your health is."

"My health is fine,Jamie,I don't need a check-up!"answered his friend irritated;"Did adam put you up to this or something?"

"Why would adam ask me to give you a check-up?"asked he confused when he started to put two and two together;"Unless…"

"Unless nothing!"said m.j. angry and started to walk away again;"I'm fine and I don't need a check-up,Jamie,so just mind your own business."

"M.j…."started the young doctor while he followed her;"I'm just worried about you."

"Don't be!"answered she and stopped as she got to vince's room;"I'm fine!"

"No,you're not."said Jamie hesitating;"I know that something happened to you in new York because I have seen the scars."

"Just leave me alone!"warned his friend him and quickly walked into vince's room,where her mother was sitting next to her father's bed;"Hi,guys."

Shane was having lunch with Nicole at tops when he saw her face turning almost white all of a sudden;"Are you okay,Nicole?"

"No,I'm not!"answered she and pointed at the elevator behind them;"Not with him back in town!"

"Who?"asked her boyfriend confused as he turned his head to see who she was pointing at and saw an older man near the elevator;"Do you mean him?"

"I never would have thought that he would have the guts to show his face downhere again."said Nicole while she got up and walked up to the man;"What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too,Nicole."smiled he;"Aren't you happy to see me?"

"What do you think?"asked she angry as shane showed up next to her;"That we would be happy if you came back again?"

"I see that you haven't changed much."laughed the man and walked away;"See you next time."

"Not if I can help it."yelled Nicole on after him;"I'd rather see you dead first!"

"What was that all about?"asked her boyfriend worried while they walked back towards their table;"I have never seen you like this before,Nicole,who is that man?"

"That was regioneld love or laSalle as he calls himself sometimes too."started she softly;"My father."

"No wonder that you're so upset."said shane shocked as he put his arms around her to comfort her;"What is he doing back in town after all the things that he has done in the past?"

"How am I suppose to know that?"asked his girlfriend annoyed and pushed shane away;"I have to tell donna right away,shane,before she runs into him herself."

"Then let me drive you overthere,because you're in no state to drive yourself right now!"answered he;"I will call the station to let them know that I'll be a little late."

"Let's go then."said Nicole as she started walking towards the elevators and pulled shane with her;"I have to talk to my sister right now."

At the laSalle's scott had been waiting for dawn to come home for a while,after he'd come home to have lunch with his wife and son,when he heard her coming in through the backdoor and he went into the kitchen;"Where have you been?"

"Why did you tell my brother to stay away from me?"asked dawn angry;"Are you crazy or something?"

"I did what I thought was best for you and our baby."answered her husband irritated;"I should have known that he would come running to you about that,dawn!"

"I went to see chad and that's when he told me,because he thought that I knew about what you'd done!"said she;"What right do you have of telling people that they can't come near me untill the end of my pregnancy?"

"I was only thinking of you and the baby that's growing inside of you,dawn,I saw how upset you were and I wanted to protect you!"

"Why do you even think that I would need your protection?"asked dawn still angry;"Chad is my big brother and don't you think that it would have upset me even more if I wasn't able to see him anymore?"

"All I know is that you were really upset after you went to see him yesterday,just like you are now, and that isn't good for your health right now!"started he slowly;"Please,try to understand that I was only doing what I thought was best for you and seeing your brother,who's always causing trouble where ever he goes,isn't what's good for you right now!"

"Don't talk about my brother like that!"warned his wife him;"Don't ever tell the people that I love and care about that they have to stay away from me!"

"Fine!"answered scott angry as well as he started to walk away;"Have it your way,dawn,but don't come complaining to me if something should happen to you or to our baby!"

"Go to hell,scott laSalle!"yelled she on after him;"Damn you!"

Later that day Kathleen was working behind the counter at mary's place together with her brother and sister when all of a sudden regioneld walked in;"What are you doing here?"

"Is mary here?"asked regioneld;"I came to see her."

"My mother doesn't want to see you!"answered Kathleen irritated;"Nobody in this town wants to see you,so why don't you just go back to where you came from,regioneld!"

"I can't do that."smiled he and turned around;"Besides,you can't decide for your mother if she wants to see me or not,so I will be back again."

"Who was that joker?"asked ben a bit surprised about his sister's attitude after regioneld had left;"What does he want from mom?"

"That was regioneld love or whatever he's calling himself these days."answered his younger sister;"We told you about him after mama came back,didn't we?"

"He's nothing but trouble and if pops had seen him downhere he would have killed him with his bare hands."said Kathleen;"Pops can't know that he's in town,guys."

"What do you think he wants from mama,Kathleen?"asked her sister worried;"Do you think he came back again for her?"

"I have no idea why he came back again,Cheryl,but I do know that this means trouble."answered she softly;"As if we didn't have enough to deal with right now."

"Hello,guys,I have got great news."smiled mary as she suddenly walked in and saw the worried looks on their faces;"What's wrong,guys,what happened?"

"You first."said her son quickly;"Tell us your great news,mom."

"Allright,your father might becoming home again next week."answered she worried;"Now one of you is going to tell me what is going downhere!"

"Regioneld is back again."started Kathleen slowly;He was here just before you came in."

"No,please,tell me that you're joking."begged her mother shocked;"Oh,my god,if vince were to find out that he's back again…."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Mitch was walking back towards his car,in the parkinglot at tops,when his brother showed up;"What are you here,sam,shouldn't you be at work?"

"I had to talk to you."answered he and told him about what had happened that morning with tara;"She wants something from me,mitch,but she won't tell me what."

"If you'd done what I'd told you that night and just gone home to your wife then you wouldn't be in this mess right now."started his brother slowly;"What do you expect me to do?"

"I thought that maybe you would know what to do,mitch."said sam irritated and wanted to walk away again;"Sorry about waisting your time with my little problem."

"Come back here,sam,I didn't say that I wasn't going to help you!"answered he and grabbed sam's arm;"Getting angry at me isn't the answer."

"I know and I'm sorry,mitch,but am I going to do about this mess?"asked his brother tired;"I can't risk her telling my wife."

"Then you will have to find out what tara wants and give it to her!"said mitch;"Ask her what she wants from you,sam."

"I have already done that and she said that she didn't want anything yet."began he slowly;"Do you think that maybe I just tell Amanda about what happened?"

"I don't know,sam,I can't make that choice for you,but you do know what will happen if she were to find out about your one-night-stand."answered his brother;"It would mean the end of your marriage and it could also cause your wife to miscarriage."

"Thank you for reminding me!"said sam angry;"Maybe I should just wait untill tara tells me what she wants and decide what to do then."

At the hudson's Nicole had been waiting for donna for a long time,while shane had gone back to the station after a while,together with marlee when they heard her coming in through the backdoor finally;"Donna…?"

"Yes,it's me."said her sister as she walked into the livingroom;"What are you doing here,Nicole,shouldn't you be running a shop or something?"

"Nicole has been waiting for you for hours."started marlee hesitating;"Where have you been,donna?"

"I have been out riding on my horse."answered she and turned towards her sister;"Why were you waiting for me,Nicole,is everything okay?"

"Maybe you should sit down first."warned her sister her and pulled donna down on the couch;"I was at tops with shane,having lunch together,when I saw him coming out of the elevator."

"Who?"asked donna confused;"Who did you see?"

"I…"began Nicole softly;"I saw regioneld."

"No!"said her sister shocked and jumped up;"No,you must have seen it wrong,Nicole,you couldn't have seen him there!"

"I wish that I was wrong,donna,but it was really him and I've even talked to him."answered she;"He's back again."

"Damn Michael!"said donna all of a sudden angry;"This is all his fault."

"Why would it be his fault that regioneld came back again,donna?"asked her daughter surprised;"He can't help it if regioneld is back."

"He was investigating regioneld and he was tracking him down,marlee."answered she;"I told Michael to stop,because It would only bring him back again and look at what has happened now!"

"It's okay,donna,he can't hurt us anymore!"said Nicole as she tried to calm her sister down again;"I'm sure that he will leave town again soon enough."

"No,he won't!"started her sister with tears in her eyes;"He won't leave untill somebody gets hurt."

That night m.j. was laying in adam's arms on his couch;"Pops might be coming home again next week."

"That's good news."said adam hesitating;"When is aaron coming back again?"

"I talked to him earlier today and he said that it's going to take atleast untill Tuesday or Wednesday before he can fly back here again."answered his girlfriend uncomfortable;"I am going to tell him,adam,you don't have to worry about that."

"I wasn't worried."smiled he lying as he kissed her;"I was just curious about for how much longer we have to keep this a secret."

"You knew that we would have to keep this a secret untill aaron got back from new York when we started this again,so don't come complaining to me now!"started m.j. irritated and got up;"I think that I'd better go home."

"Hey,why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"asked her boyfriend surprised as he grabbed her hands;"I wasn't complaining,m.j!"

"Then why did you bring up aaron?"began she while pulling away from adam;"I don't need this right now,adam,I've got enough on my mind without you starting in on me too!"

"Calm down!"said adam worried;'What is the matter with you all of a sudden?"

"There's nothing the matter with me!"answered his girlfriend tired;"Let's just drop it!"

"No,I want to know why you're acting so weird all of a sudden!"started adam;"Did something happen today to make you act like this,m.j?"

"Just drop it,adam,I don't want to talk about it!"warned she him irritated;"I have to go home."

"Sure,m.j."said her boyfriend frustrated;"You always were best at running away."

"Damn you,adam cory!"yelled m.j. angry and hit him against his chest;"That isn't fair!"

"You're right and I'm sorry."answered he feeling guilty when he saw the tears in her eyes,as he pulled her into his arms;"But I'd just wish that you would tell me what is going on with you,because this is driving me crazy and I don't know how to act around you anymore."

"Just hold me tight."begged his girlfriend softly and lay her head against his chest;"Please just hold me!"

At the laSalle's dawn was laying in her bed when scott walked into their bedroom;"Why are you laying in bed,dawn,are you okay?"

"I was just feeling a bit sick."answered she;"It's nothing."

"Maybe we should call sharlene or something."said her husband worried;"Just to be on the safe side."

"No,it's nothing."started dawn softly;"I hate it when we fight,scott."

"So do i."answered he and sat down next to her on the bed;"I'm sorry about what happened,dawn,I shouldn't have told chad that he couldn't see you."

"I'm sorry too,scott,I could have been more understanding about why you did what you did."

"Why don't we just forget about what happened?"asked scott as he put his arm around her;"It was a stupid thing to do and I promise you that I wouldn't ever do that again."

"I know that you worry about me and our baby,honey,but getting upset about something isn't going to hurt me or anything."answered his wife;"You can't protect me from everything because to do that you would have to lock me up and keep me inside this house."

"That doesn't sound so bad."smiled he teasing and kissed her;"Atleast eric and I would have you all to ourselves."

"Don't even joke about something like that."laughed dawn;"You're nuts."

"I know."said her husband;"What do you want to do tomorrow-night,dawn,do you think that you're up for going to m.j.'s surprise-party?"

"Ofcourse I'm up for that."smiled she;"I'm just a bit sick right now,but that doesn't mean that I'll still be sick tomorrow,scott,so there's no reason why we couldn't go tomorrow-night."

Ben was in his father's hospitalroom with his mother;"When will you know if you can go home for sure,dad?"

"At the beginning of next week."answered vince while he looked worried at mary,who had been pretty quiet eversince the whole time that they had been there;"Are you allright,mary,is everything okay?"

"I'm fine."said she lying and tried to put on a smile on her face;"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've hardly said a word since you got here."started vince still worried;"Is everything okay at home?"

"Everything's fine,dad."answered his son quickly when he saw that his mother was lost for words;"I think that mom is just a bit tired."

"If you're tired then you should go home."said he and turned towards mary as he took her hand into his;"You don't have to sit by my side all the time and wear yourself out."

"But I want to sit here by your bed,vince!"began mary annoyed;"I'm not here because I have to!"

"I know that,honey,but I don't want you to wear yourself out like this!"answered vince;"Our kids can keep me company too,mary,so that you can get some rest."

"Dad is right,mom,you need to take some rest."said their son;"Why don't you go to bed early today and let us take care of things for a change?"

"You don't want to get sick too,mary,do you?"asked vince;"I will be home again next week,so you don't have to feel guilty about staying home for a change."

"Maybe you're both right."said she softly and got up while she kissed vince;"Then I will see you tomorrow again,vince,sleep tight."

"You too."smiled he and kissed her back;"See you tomorrow."

"Bye,dad."said his son and followed mary out of the room;"I'll be back tonight."

"Why did you tell your father that I was tired?"asked mary a bit angry as soon as they had left vince's room;"Now your father is probably feeling guilty."

"Dad isn't feeling guilty,mom."answered he while they walked towards the elevators;"Besides,I couldn't really tell him the real reason why you were so quiet,could i?"

"No,I guess not."started she and calmed down a bit;"I'm sorry,honey,you're right."

"It's okay,mom,I know that this is really difficult for you and I also know that you don't like lying to dad,but telling him that you were tired was the only way and it wasn't really a lie anyway."

"I hope that regioneld goes away before vince finds out that he's in town."said mary softly;"Your father doesn't need this right now on top of everything else."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next day Amanda was having breakfast when her mother came into the kitchen;"Goodmorning,honey,where's sam?"

"He left about an hour ago."answered Amanda without looking up as she got up;"I have to go too."

"Is everything okay,Amanda?"asked her mother worried;"Did you and sam have another fight?"

"You don't want me to ask you about private things,mom,so don't ask me about mine!"started she annoyed while she walked away and almost bumped into her father on her way out;"Bye,dad."

"Bye,honey."said mac a bit surprised and sat down next to his wife while he noticed the upset look on her face;"What happened,Rachel,did Amanda start asking questions again."

"No,she didn't."answered his wife tired;"I got the impression that she had another fight with sam,but when I asked about it,mac,she told me that since I didn't want her to ask me private things that I shouldn't ask her about private things either."

"I'm sure that she didn't mean that,honey,she's probably just angry about something else and she's taking that out on you."started he slowly;"I will go to her office later on and ask her if everything's okay."

"I know that you think that I should tell her the truth,mac,but I'd just wish that I could make you understand why I don't want to tell her or anybody else yet."said Rachel;"I don't want anybody to know untill I have no other choice then to tell them."

"I do understand why you don't want to tell them yet,honey,but I just think that it would be better to tell everybody now before they find out on their own."answered her husband;"Amanda already knows that there is something that we're keeping from her."

"Do you think that it will make it any better for her if she knows that I'm going to die?"asked she softly;"She's pregnant right now and I don't want to give her that kind of stress as long as she's still pregnant."

"But she's still got four more months to go or so."said mac surprised;"Do you really want to keep the truth from everybody for that long?"

"I don't see what other choice I have!"started his wife tired;"What do you think it will do to our daughter or to the rest if they find out that I'm dying,mac?"

"But what if your symptoms get worse and you can no longer hide them?"asked he;"This isn't something that you can hide for that long."

At the hudson's donna was getting dressed when Michael walked in;"Go away,Michael."

"Are you still mad at me?"asked he surprised;"Come on,donna,I already said that I was sorry."

"I warned you about trying to track him down and I'd asked you to give that up,but you refused to listen to me and look at what happened!"said his wife angry;"He's back in town to make everybody's life a living hell."

"Nothing's gonna happen,donna,he isn't going to hurt anybody this time!"answered Michael;"I'm sure that he will leave again when he gets that nobody wants him downhere."

"Have you forgotten about what happened last time that he was in town?"asked donna with tears in her eyes;"Vicky ended up in the hospital,in a come and almost died,we broke up and I almost lost kristy when I saw seven months pregnant."

"Ofcourse I didn't forget about that."said her husband as he put her arms around her;"But nothing like that is going to happen this time around,donna,trust me!"

"You can't stop him!"answered she and pushed Michael away;"Nobody can!"

"I will make sure that he doesn't hurt anybody this time."promised Michael her;"I will stop him,honey,even if that means that I would have to kill him!"

Felica was having breakfast in her penthouse at tops with mitch when there was a knock on the door;"Who could that be at this hour?"

"Goodmorning,guys."said shane after mitch had opened up the door and walked in;"I'm sorry about disturbing you this early on a Saturday,but this is important."

"What are you doing here?"asked felica worried;"Is there something wrong with Nicole?"

"No,Nicole is fine."answered her nephew;"I'm here because I need your help and this was my only chance without Nicole finding out,felica."

"What are you up to that your girlfriend can't know about,shane?"started she slowly;"With what do you need my help?"

"With finding out what ring-size Nicole has."smiled shane;"So that I can ask her if she wants to become mrs. Shane Cassidy."

""Are you going to propose to her?"asked mitch surprised;"When,shane?"

"Probaly in a week or so."answered he;"That gives me enough time to get everything in place to make it a perfect evening."

"I didn't know you were ready for marriage yet."said felica as surprised as mitch;"Do you think that Nicole is ready for this?"

"I hope so."started her nephew slowly;"I love Nicole and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Around noon mary was having lunch with her son at home when her youngest daughter walked in;"Hi,guys,where's m.j.?"

"She went for a walk after justin went to sleep."answered mary;"Shouldn't you be helping out at mary's place?"

"Yes,mama,but I only came downhere to ask you something."started her daughter hesitating;"Why didn't you ask chad to come tonight?"

"Chad?"asked she surprised;"I didn't know if I should ask him or not."

"Maybe you should ask him."said ben;"Is he a friend of m.j.?"

"Nobody really knows."answered his mother hesitating and turned towards Cheryl;"Why are you asking me this anyway,cheryl?"

"Because I want m.j. to have the best party ever."said she lying;"I think that chad should be there too,mama,they were friends."

"Do you really think that m.j. would want him there tonight?"asked mary;"I'm not so sure about that."

"Come on,mama,you guys have asked adam to come too."answered her daughter irritated;"Then why not ask chad too?"

"Okay,if it means that much to you then we'll ask him to come to the surprise party tonight."started she suspicious after her daughter's outburst;"But am I wondering why it's so important to you to have him there,Cheryl."

"I've already told you why I think that chad should be there."said Cheryl and walked out the door again;"I will call him up and ask him to come."

"What was that all about,mom?"asked her brother confused;"Is there something going on between chad and this guy?"

"Not as far as I know."answered she;"But I'm starting to wonder about that after that she was just acting."

At brava Amanda was skipping lunch and staying in her office to work when sam walked in and locked the door behind him;"I'm busy,sam,what do you want?"

"I just want to tell you that I'm sorry about lastnight and this morning."answered he and sat down on her desk;"I was in a bad mood,but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Does this suppose to make it allright?"asked his wife irritated;"Just by saying that you had a bad mood?"

"Ofcourse not."said sam;"That's no excuse and I'm really sorry about the way that I was towards you,amanda."

"Why you were in such a bad mood lastnight,sam!"started she slowly;"What happened?"

"Nothing happened."answered her husband lying;"I just had a bad day."

"That's not an answer,sam!"said Amanda a bit angry again;"Something must have ticked you off."

"Why are we waisting our time talking about something that's over and done with when we could be something better."smiled he as he pulled her into his arms on the desk and kissed her;"Like making up again."

"Sam…."began his wife surprised about the sudden change in his mood;"This is my office."

"So?"asked sam and started to open up her shirt while he kissed her neck gently;"Nobody can come in,baby,because I have locked the door."

"You're crazy!"laughed his wife as she kissed him back;"But I love you anway."

Donna was sitting out in the garden of her house,waiting for her sister to come back after she'd run off to the bathroom when Nicole came back again;"Are you okay?"

"I don't understand why they call it morning-sickness."said Nicole with a faint smile as she sat down next to donna;"Sometimes it seems to last all day long."

"Probaly only for the first trimester,Nicole."answered her sister with a smile;"Welcome to the world of pregnant women."

"Was it like this for you too?"asked she;"With both the twins and with kristy?"

"It was worse with the twins."started donna softly;"But ofcourse the situation was different and I spend most of my time locked up in a room."

"I'm sorry,donna,I forgot about what regioneld had done to you while you were pregnant with marlee and Vicky for second."answered her sister;"That was stupid of me to bring that up."

"It's okay."said she;"It was a long time ago."

"Did you talk to Michael about regioneld being back again?"asked Nicole hesitating;"Do you still blame him for regioneld coming back?"

"If he'd done what I'd asked him to do then our father wouldn't be back right now,Nicole,I begged Michael to stop trying to track him down!"said her sister;"Michael said that he would protect us and that he wouldn't let him hurt us in any way."

"Maybe regioneld will go away soon enough."started she slowly;"Maybe he's just passing through or something."

"Do you really believe that yourself,Nicole?"asked donna tired;"You know what happened last time that he was here and I don't want to go through that again,Nicole,even if it means that I would have to kill him!"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

At the hospital susan was working when david came in;"Hi,what brings you downhere?"

"I came to check up on you,susan,to see if you were taking care of yourself."smiled david teasing;"It looks like I have to keep a closer eye on you,because you don't even seem to take the time to have lunch anymore."

"Who told you that,david?"asked his friend surprised;"Did ryan put you up to this?"

"No,on my way downhere I ran into your secretary and I got her to tell me that you've been spending way too much time in your office lately."answered he;"Besides,who comes downhere on a Saturday to work when they don't have to."

"I had a lot of paperwork laying around that had to be done and it's not like my social calendar has been full lately."started susan slowly;"But did you come all the way downhere to tell me that I work too hard,david?"

"No,I came to rescue you from a boring afternoon of work."laughed he and pulled her out of the chair;"You're coming with me and I'm going to make sure that you have a great weekend or atleast what's left of it."

"I don't have time for that,because I wasn't joking when I said that I had a lot of paperwork to do."said his friend hesitating;"I have to stay here atleast untill the end of the day."

"No,you don't!"smiled david as he took susan with him out of her office;"You've done enough work for now and you're coming with me to have the night of your life!"

That afternoon mac was walking towards his daughter's office when he ran into her in the hallway;"Hello,honey,I was just on my way up to see you."

"Hi,dad."smiled Amanda;"What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to talk to you about this morning."said he as they walked towards amanda's office together;"Is everything allright between you and sam?"

"Everything's fine,dad."answered his daughter irritated;"Mom told you to talk to me,didn't she?"

"No,she didn't,Amanda."started mac slowly and went into her office;"It was my choice to talk to you about this morning because I was worried about what had happened between you and your mother at breakfast."

"Nothing happened,dad."said she;"All I did was tell mom that since she didn't want me ask about her private things that I didn't want her to ask me stuff like that either."

"Don't you think that you're being a little bit childish?"asked her father;"Just because you have got it into your head that there's some dark and deep secret that your mother is hiding from you that doesn't mean that you have to try and hurt her every chance you get."

"I'm doing the same thing as she's doing!"answered Amanda angry;"Why do you always take her side in everything,dad?"

"Grow up,Amanda,there are things that you don't understand!"said he angry too and walked away because he knew that if he stayed he would tell her the truth;"Not everything is about you!"

Shane was sitting on the couch at home when his girlfriend walked in;"Hi,honey,how was donna?"

"Still pretty upset."answered Nicole as she sat down;"She's so afraid of being hurt again that she said that she'd rather kill him then letting hurt her again."

"Do you think that she means it?"asked her boyfriend surprised;"Do you think that she would really kill him if he got to close to her again?"

"Ofcourse not,shane,what kind of a question is that?"said she and lay her head against his shoulder;"Can we please just change the subject now?"

"Sure."started shane slowly;"What time do we have to get ready for the party?"

"Hmmm."answered his girlfriend softly and looked up at shane;"Do we really have to go to the party tonight,shane?"

"No,we can stay in if you want."said he;"Are you too tired?"

"No,not really."smiled Nicole as she kissed him;"I'd just rather stay here with you."

"Oh,really?"laughed her boyfriend and kissed her back;"I'm sure that nobody is going to miss us anyway,nicky."

"I would miss you."answered she teasing while she sat down on top of him;"Don't we have to call mary or Kathleen to tell them that we aren't coming?"

"Do you want to call them right now?"asked shane as he let his fingers slowly run over her back up and down;"Or do you want to continue what you started?"

"We can always call them later on."smiled Nicole and kissed shane again;"I'm sure that they won't mind."

At chad's room he was laying in bed with Cheryl;"Why does your mother suddenly wants me to come tonight?"

"I thought that we had already gone over this when I got here earlier."said Cheryl irritated as she got out of bed,while she started to get dressed again;"She wants you to come because you're a friend of m.j.'s and if you don't believe me then call her up."

"But they have never seen me as a friend of your sister's before,so why would they start to now?"asked her boyfriend;"Or did you ask her to invite me,cheryl?"

"You sound like you don't want to come."started she slowly;"Are you afraid to see m.j. again after all this time or are you afraid that there might still be some feelings left?"

"Don't even go there,because you have no reason to be jealous of your sister!"answered chad;"What I felt for her was over long before we started seeing eachother and you're the only one that I love right now!"

"How can I be sure about that,chad?"asked Cheryl suddenly angry;"There was a time not so long ago that you did everything in your power to get m.j. back again and when she broke up with adam you did your best to win her back."

"That was over two years ago!"said her boyfriend frustrated and tried his best not to get furious with Cheryl;"Come on,Cheryl,I have always been honest with you and I never gave you any reason to doubt me!"

"But that was before m.j. was back again."answered she and walked away;"Do what you like,chad,come to the party or don't come!"

"Cheryl…"Started chad and tried to stop her from leaving,but by the time that he got out of the bedroom with his jeans on she was on her way out and slamming the door shut;"Damn it!"

It was almost seven p.m. when Kathleen and cass got into the elevator in the parkinglot at tops,together with m.j. by their side;"Are you hungry,m.j.?"

"No,not really."answered she a bit annoyed;"I don't see why you two had to drag me downhere while you knew that I wanted to stay at home with my son."

"Because you should go out and have some fun."smiled cass;"Come on,we're going to have some fun tonight."

"Couldn't you two have gone out without me?"asked his sister-in-law;"I'm not really in the mood for this."

"No,we couldn't have."answered Kathleen as they got out of the elevator at the restaurant and they saw everybody standing there together yelling surprise;"Surprise,m.j."

"Please,tell me that you didn't!"begged she softly and grabbed kathleen's arm;"Please tell me that this isn't a surprise party for me?"

"Come on."laughed her brother-in-law as he put his arm around her;"It will be fun."

"Hi,honey."smiled mary as she came up to them;"This is our way to welcome you home again."

"Try to look like you're happy about it,m.j!"whispered her other daughter into m.j.'s ear;"Mama has even asked adam to come."

"What's that suppose to mean?"asked she annoyed again and turned towards her sister who quickly walked away with her husband;"Kathleen!"

"Nothing."smiled Kathleen teasing when she saw the warning look in her husband's eyes;"Nothing at all."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

At the cory's mac was sitting in his study when his daughter came in,hesitating;"Dad…."

"Hi,honey."said he looking up;"Where's sam?"

"Sam went on ahead to m.j.'s party,dad."answered his daughter;"Where's mom?"

"Probaly upstairs,getting ready."started mac and felt guilty about the way that he acted towards her when he was in her office at brava;"I know why you're here and I'm sorry for coming down so hard on you,Amanda,I shouldn't have done that."

"I have never seen you like that before,dad,that was the first time in my life that you've talked to me like that."said she softly;"What did you mean when you said that there were things that I didn't understand?"

"I didn't mean anything by it."answered her father lying;"I was just angry at you for the way that you were acting towards your mother."

"But that is what I don't understand,dad,I have been acting badly towards mom many times before and this was the first time that you got this mad at me."said Amanda hesitating;"How sick is mom?"

"Who said that your mother is sick?"asked he and tried to hide his true feelings;"Can't I just get mad at you without something being wrong with your mother?"

"I know you well enough to know that you didn't get so mad for no reason,dad,I have never seen you like that before!"answered his daughter with tears in her eyes;"Please,dad,tell me the truth about mom!"

"Leave your father alone!"said a voice behind them and when Amanda turned around she saw her mother standing there;"I will tell you what you want to know,Amanda."

"What is wrong with you?"asked she worried;"Are you sick?"

"Yes,I am."answered Rachel tired;"I have a braintumor that can't removed."

"Oh,my god,mom."whispered her daughter shocked;"But that means that…."

"It means that I will die."said she hesitating;"Probaly within six months or less."

"Amanda…."started mac slowly and wanted to put his arms around her;"Your mother didn't want to upset you while you were pregnant."

"Upset me?"asked Amanda angry as she began to walk away;"Were you just going to wait untill you were dead or something?"

"Come back here,Amanda!"said her mother and wanted to go after her;"Just let me explain!"

"No,rachel,let her go."answered mac as he pulled his wife back again;"She's got a lot to deal with right now,but she'll be back once she's calmed down."

"Do you think that m.j. would mind if we didn't show up at the party?"asked she tired;"I really don't feel like going,mac."

"Come on,Rachel,it might take your mind off things."said her husband slowly;"Besides,sam is there and maybe Amanda will come downthere too once she has calmed down a bit."

At the party Cheryl was standing by the bar when she saw chad coming up to her and wanted to walk away when he quickly stopped her;"Please,don't!"

"Leave me alone!"said Cheryl annoyed;"I'm not in the mood for this,chad!"

"You totally got the wrong idea earlier!"answered he;"I wouldn't be with you if I didn't love you!"

"Don't do this now!"started his girlfriend as she quickly looked around to see if anybody was watching them;"Not here and not now!"

"Why not?"asked chad frustrated;"You were accusing me of not really wanting you,cheryl,but maybe you're the one who isn't really serious about us and who doesn't love me as much as I love you!"

"Go to hell,chad rollow!"answered she angry and walked away.

Marlee was running on the beach when a guy bumped into her who was running with dog there;"Hey,excuse me!"

"Oh,I'm sorry."said he and stopped to help her up while he called back his dog;"Are you okay,miss?"

"I'm fine."answered marlee and noticed how cute the guy was looking;"I'm marlee and you are?"

"I'm ryan."smiled he;"This might sound a little crazy and I know that you don't even know me,marlee,but would you like to go out with me sometime?"

"You're right."laughed she;"It does sound crazy and I don't know a thing about you."

"But besides that little problem,would you like to go out with me?"asked ryan with a big grin on his face;"To a movie or just for coffee or something."

"Maybe."said marlee teasing;"How do I know that you're not a serial killer or something,ryan?"

"Well,I'm a policeofficer and I'm a really nice guy."laughed he;"But if you don't believe me then you can always ask my mother or my sister about what kind of a guy I am."

"I guess that I should take your word on that."smiled marlee;"So,what time do you want to pick me up on our date tomorrow-night?"

"How does seven sound?"asked ryan;"We can go see a movie,marlee,if that's okay with you?"

"That sounds great,ryan."said she happy and walked away;"See you then."

"Hey,what's your address?"asked he surprised;"Where should I pick you up?"

"My last name is Hudson,so if you're really a cop then you'll be able to find out where I live."laughed marlee as she kept on walking away from him;"Don't be late."

At tops m.j. was standing near the elevators,watching everybody having fun and dancing,when adam walked up to her;"Did Kathleen send you overhere?"

"No,why would she?"asked he confused;"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."answered m.j. with a faint smile;"You knew about this party,didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged."laughed her boyfriend;"They wanted to throw you this surprise-party because they're really happy that you're home again,m.j."

"I know that and it was really sweet of them to do this,but…"began she when all of a sudden three masked men came running out of the elevator;"Oh,no,not again!"

"You all keep your hands where I can see them!"warned one of the men while they all pointed machine-guns at them;"If you all do what we tell you to do then this will all be over in a flash and nobody will get hurt!"

But at the same time Cheryl came out of felica's office with a bottle of champagne that was suppose to be a gift for her sister.

She saw the men with guns and dropped the bottle in a panic reaction while she screamed;"Oh,my god."

Since the sound of the crashing bottle sounded a lot like a gunshot one of the robbers thought that somebody was shooting at them,so he turned towards Cheryl while he opened fire;"They are shooting at us,parker!"

"Cheryl!"yelled chad,who was standing not far from felica's office,and ran towards her as soon as he saw the robber pointing the gun at Cheryl and jumped infront of her when the shooting began;"No!"

After that all hell broke lose and all the robbers started shooting while everybody was trying to find a good hiding place,safe from all the bullits flying around and out of the line of fire.

"No,stay down!"screamed adam shocked when he saw his girlfriend,who jumped up in a state of panic and wanted to duck into one of the elevators just to get away from the situation,and tried to pull her back when one of the robbers turned towards m.j. while he kept on shooting around him,but without any luck and he saw her being getting hit and falling down,so furious he pulled out his gun and shot the man;"No!"

"Let's go!"yelled another robber as he helped up the man that adam had shot with the third robber as they pulled him into the elevator quickly;"Let's get out of here!"

"Somebody please call 911!"begged chery in shock while she held chad in her lap with blood all over her hands and clothes;"They shot chad!"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The next day Nicole woke up really early and after the wonderfull night that she'd had with shane she'd decided to tell him about being pregnant that morning.

"Goodmorning."whispered she into shane's ear and kissed him to wake him up;"Rise and shine."

"Hmmmm."smiled her boyfriend still half asleep as he opened his eyes and kissed her back;"I could get used to waking up like this in the morning."

"Lastnight was great,shane."smiled Nicole and layed down on top of him;"But we did forget to call mary that we weren't coming to the party."

"I'm sure they didn't miss us one bit,honey."laughed he;"Why don't we go to mary's place for lunch and say that we're sorry for not showing up."

"Are we sorry then?"asked his girlfriend teasing;"I'm not sorry,shane,are you?"

"Ofcourse not."smiled shane as he kissed her;"Not for one minute,nicky."

"I…"began she suddenly hesitating;"Have you ever thought about having kids?"

"Ofcourse."answered her boyfriend surprised about her question;"Someday."

"Do you see us having kids together,shane?"asked Nicole;"A few kids of our own?"

"If i'm ever going to have kids then it would be with you."laughed he;"In a few years or so,Nicole,after I have had you all to myself for a while."

"But…."started his girlfriend slowly when the phone started ringing;"I…."

"Hold that thought,nicole,just give me a minute to answer this."said shane as he answered the phone;"Hello?"

"Who was that?"asked she worried after shane had hung up the phone and looked really pale and shocked all of a sudden;"Shane…?"

"That was ryan."answered her boyfriend softly;"It seems that the robbers hit tops last night and that it turned out pretty ugly."

At the hospital adam was laying asleep in a chair outside of m.j.'s room when he was woken up by mary;"What….?"

"Did you stay here all night?"asked Kathleen surprised,who was standing next to her mother with cass;"Why,adam?"

"I wanted to make sure that m.j. was okay."answered he and got up;"I just wanted to be here."

"You heard what the doctor said lastnight."said his girlfriend's mother softly;"He said that m.j. only has a minor headwound and that she's gonna be just fine again."

"I just wanted to make sure of that."started adam tired;"Lastnight she was laying there so quiet on the ground with her eyes closed and there was blood everywhere."

"Is she awake yet?"asked his friend;"Or did you stay out here all this time,adam?"

"The nurse wouldn't let me into her room outside of visting-hours since I'm not family."answered he;"But according to her m.j. hasn't woken up yet."

"Maybe you should go home to get some sleep or something."began mary worried;"We will call you as soon as there's any change."

"That would be great."said her daughter's boyfriend and walked away;"See you later."

"Why would adam stay outside of m.j.'s room all night?"asked Kathleen after adam had left;"Maybe there's something going on between them."

"Come on,Kathleen,you know that your sister's with aaron and that adam has just broken up with susan."answered her husband;"Besides,if he wanted m.j. back then why would he have let her go over two years ago?"

"There must be something going on between them because why else would adam spend the whole night outside of m.j.'s hospitalroom?"started she annoyed;"Besides,they have been acting strange lately and adam was really nice towards her all of a sudden."

"Stop it!"said mary tired with tears in her eyes;"Your sister is laying there after being shot at,still unconscious,and a lot of people got hurt lastnight,Kathleen,so do you really think that it's important right now if there is something going on between adam and m.j.?"

"You're right,mama,I'm sorry."answered her daughter ashamed and put her arms around mary;"Don't worry because m.j.'s gonna get through this."

"What are you going to tell vince?"asked cass;"Are you going to tell him about what has happened at tops lastnight?"

"No,ofcourse not."answered she softly;"How am I suppose to tell him something like this?"

Rachel was still laying in bed when mac came back into their bedroom;"Are you awake,honey?"

"Yes."answered his wife;"Is Amanda still asleep,mac."

"No,I saw her leaving for the hospital about an hour ago."started he slowly;"She probably wanted to see if sam made it through the night allright."

"He must be crushed after what happened at tops lastnight."said Rachel;"If only we had stayed a little longer."

"There is nothing that we could have done and if we had stayed then we might have ended up in the hospital too,rachel."answered her husband;"Let's just be thankfull that Amanda didn't go and that she didn't get hurt too or worse."

"Don't you think that this has hurt her too?"asked she irritated;"Her life has already been turned upside down lastnight when I opened up my big mouth and told her the truth about what's wrong with me and as if that wasn't enough her husband got shot."

"I know that you still think that telling the truth was wrong,but you will see in the long run that it was the best things that you could have done."said mac;"Maybe you should tell the rest too before they hear it from Amanda or somebody else."

"Do you really think that Jamie wants to hear about something like that right now,mac?"started his wife tired;"Or Mathew?"

"How are we going to tell him about what's happened to mitch?"asked he;"We can't just tell Mathew something like this over the phone."

"Maybe we should go down to England to tell him about mitch in person."answered Rachel softly;"But I can't tell him about what is going on with me now that this has happened,mac,it would be too much at once."

"Let's just do one thing at the time."said her husband as he put his arms around her;"Let's just go to England and tell Mathew about what has happened to mitch."

It was just past noon when Vicky walked into her parents' house and found her twinsister sitting out in the garden;"Hi,marlee."

"Hi,Vicky."smiled she;"Where's jake?"

"He had to work."answered her twinsister;"What's up with you,marlee,you're almost glowing."

"Nothing's up with me."laughed marlee;"I met somebody lastnight,vicky."

"Who is it?"asked she surprised;"Is she hansom?"

"Yes,he sure is."smiled her twinsister;"I have a date with him tonight."

"That's awesome,marlee."said Vicky happy for her;"What's his name?"

"Ryan and he's a cop."answered she;"I haven't felt like this about somebody that I'd just met since…."

"Since jake."started her twinsister slowly;"Isn't that what you were going to say?"

"Yes."said marlee hesitating;"When I first met jake I felt just like I do now,vicky."

"Does this mean that you're in love with this guy or something?"asked she surprised;"Just like that?"

"I don't know about that,Vicky,but I sure am attracted to him."answered her sister;"Haven't you ever felt like you were hit by lightning the first time that you saw somebody?"

"I felt like that the first time I met jake."said Vicky with a faint smile;"I still feel that way everytime I see him."

"Well,I felt like I was hit by lightning lastnight when I met ryan."smiled her twinsister;"Is it crazy to say something like that about somebody that I have just met,vicky."

"Ofcourse not."answered she;"Maybe this is all meant to be for you and ryan."

"I hope so."said marlee;"I haven't felt this happy in a long time."

At the hospital mary was sitting next to m.j.'s bed with Kathleen when Jamie walked in;"Hi,Jamie,where's Edwin?"

"I've taken over this case from him because I was the doctor that took care of m.j. last time that she was here."started he hesitating;"There is something that we have to talk about."

"That sounds pretty serious."said Kathleen worried;"That sounds like bad news."

"Has m.j. told you guys about what'd happened to her in new York?"asked her friend;"Did she tell you anything at all?"

"Only that she'd been in a little accident and that she has to use a cain for a while."answered mary;"Why are you asking us this,Jamie?"

"I need to know what happened to your daughter in new York,why she was subscribed such heavy painkillers and who her doctor was there."said he;"I need her mecidical file."

"We don't know anything,Jamie."started his friend softly;"M.j. refused to tell us anything about new York and we didn't even know that she was using pretty heavy painkillers."

"But what does what happened to her in new york has to do with why she's in the hospital right now?"asked mary confused;"She is in the hospital because of what happened lastnight."

"Yes,but to really help m.j. as good as possible I need to know her medical history and I need to know what kind of medication she was using and why."answered the young doctor;"Look,mary,I'm not suppose to be telling you guys this but last time that m.j. was here in the hospital,after passing out,I found two gunshot wound and also two operation-wounds."

"Why didn't you tell us about this last time?"began she shocked;"Did you ask m.j. about it and what did she say?"

"All your daughter wanted to say about the subject that it wasn't any of my business and that I should leave her alone."said Jamie;"I could get in a lot of trouble for telling you guys this,but I need some answers."

"Maybe you should ask aaron about what happened in new york and about who her doctor was there."answered his friend;"He would know all that,Jamie,since he's her boyfriend."

"Do you know when he will be back again or how I can get in touch with him?"asked he;"Have you been able to tell him about what has happened yet?"

"No,but I left him a message on his cellphone and I'm sure he will fly back as soon as he knows what has happened to m.j."said Kathleen;"Is m.j. going to be okay again?"

"Well,her headwound isn't that serious and she should be fine,but I'm more worried about her taking those painkillers."answered her friend;"Her blood showed once again traces of heavy painkillers and too many of those can lead to serious health problems."

Amanda was sitting to her husband's bed,holding his hand,when he finally woke up;"Amanda…?"

"Hi,sam."said she and kissed him gently;"How are you feeling?"

"Not great."answered her husband as he looked at the bandage around his right arm;"How bad is it?"

"Your arm is going to be just fine."started Amanda hesitating;"Do you remember anything from what happened lastnight at the party,sam?"

"I was standing around,talking to mitch and wondering where you were,and I was about to call you when those guys came in with machineguns."said he;"Then all hell broke loose,Amanda,they started shooting all around them and I got shot in my arm."

"Is that all you remember?"asked his wife worried;"Don't you remember anything else?"

"Well,it's all a bit hazy from that point on."answered sam;"Where were you lastnight and why didn't you come to the party,Amanda?"

I got caught up in something else."began she softly and lay her head on his chest;"I could have lost you lastnight,sam,you could have died."

But I didn't."said her husband with a faint smile and kissed her gently;"Hey,I'm fine."

"I should have been there for you."answered Amanda with tears in her eyes;"What if you had died and I hadn't been there with you,sam."

"I'm glad that you weren't there because else you might have been shot too."said he and looked like he suddenly remembered something;"Is everybody else okay?"

"M.j. and chad are both in the hospital too,but they're both going to be fine again."started his wife hesitating;"And…"

"And what?"asked sam worried;"Who else got hurt,Amanda,tell me the truth!"

"It's your brother."answered she softly;"He got shot too and…."

"No!"yelled her husband shocked;"He can't be…!"

"I'm really sorry,honey,the doctors did everything that they could to save him,but it was too late."said Amanda as she put her arms around him;"Mitch didn't make it."

"No!"started he over and over again while the tears ran down his face;"No,not him!"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

At adam's place he was laying on the couch,trying to get some sleep,but his mind kept going back to old memories of him and m.j…..

Adam was standing infront of the television in his livingroom,in disbelief about what he was seeing with his own two eyes : his fiancée turning tricks with some man, when the doorbell rang and after opening the door he saw m.j. standing there.

"I need to talk to you."said she softly and came in;"There something that I have to tell you!"

I know!"answered her fiancée while he pointed at the tv where the scenes of m.j. doing tricks was still on;"Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh,my god."whispered m.j. with tears in her eyes;"I…"

"That's what I thought too when I saw the woman that I'm suppose to marry today on tv playing the hooker!"started adam slowly;"Please tell me that this is all just a bad joke and that you aren't…."

"I never wanted you to find out like this,adam,I really didn't!"said his fiancée;"Please let me explain."

"What's there to explain?"asked he angry;"You have been lying to me from the start!"

"No,it wasn't like that!"answered m.j. as she began to cry;"I love you and I never meant to hurt you!"

"If you loved me then you would have told me,m.j!"yelled her fiancée and pushed m.j. away when she wanted to grab his hand;"It's over!"

"You can't really mean that,adam,it can't just be over!"begged she;"If we just put off the wedding for while then we can get through this together!"

"How can I ever marry you after this?"asked adam still in shock;"I don't even know who you are!"

"You do know who I am,adam,I'm still the same woman that you fell in love with!"answered his fiancée crying;"Please don't do this!"

"It's too late!"said he angry and turned his back towards her while he heard her running out of his apartment;"It's over!"

Slowly adam shook off the memory of that day while he felt ashamed about the way that he'd treated m.j. that day and the days after that untill she finally left town and got off the couch;"I never should have let her go!"

Later that day Nicole was talking to her sister;"I almost told shane this morning."

"Almost?"asked donna surprised;"What happened?"

"I asked him if he could see us with kids and then he said that he could see us with kids in a few years or so,donna,after he'd had me all to himself for a while."answered her sister;"He doesn't want kids right now."

"Maybe shane didn't plan to have a baby right now,Nicole,but neither did you and that doesn't mean that he wouldn't be happy about it if you told him the truth!"

"No,donna,he just isn't ready for kids yet and he doesn't want them yet."

"How can you be so sure about that?"started donna slowly;"You won't know how he will react untill you tell him truth!"

"I'm not going to tell him the truth!"said she softly;"If I tell him right now then I will push him into something that he's not ready for yet."

"You have to tell him!"warned her sister her;"This isn't something that you can't keep it from him forever!"

"If I tell him then he will want to do the right thing!"answered Nicole;"I want him to be with me because he loves me and not because I'm pregnant!"

"But shane is with you because he loves you!"said donna;"Please,Nicole,don't be so stubborn and just tell him the truth about being pregnant with his child!"

At the hospital Cheryl was talking to chad,who was laying in the hospital;"The doctor said that you're gonna be just fine."

"Look,honey,are we okay now?"asked chad worried as he grabbed her hand;"You have to believe me when I tell you that you are the only one that I love and want to be with!"

"I know that and I'm sorry about yesterday,chad,I shouldn't have been acting like such a bitch."started his girlfriend when dawn came in with her husband;"Hey,guys."

"Hi,you two."said dawn and looked at chad;"How are you feeling,chad,we were here earlier,but you were still asleep."

"I'm okay."answered he;"Don't look son worried."

"Your brother is a hero."smiled Cheryl;"If he hadn't jumped infront of me then who knows what would have happened."

"Come on,Cheryl,that isn't true."laughed her boyfriend,but stopped when he felt a sharp pain in his chest;"Maybe I shouldn't laugh for a while."

"Cheryl is right,chad,you saved her life lastnight."said scott;"If you hadn't jumped infront of her she probably would be dead right now."

"I only did what anybody else would have done too."started he with a faint smile;"So,please,don't make such a big deal about it!"

"It is a big deal,baby."smiled his girlfriend as she gently kissed chad right now his mouth,shocking both scott and dawn;"You saved my life!"

"Since when…?"asked dawn stuned;"How long…?"

"We've been seeing eachother since my birthday."answered Cheryl and took chad's hand in hers;"I love your brother and he loves me,dawn!"

"So I was right!"said she;"I knew that there was something going on!"

"But why hide it from everybody?"asked her husband surprised;"Why?"

"We didn't think you all would understand."started chad slowly;"We thought that nobody would be happy with her being with me."

"I doubt if they will feel that way now."smiled his sister;"You saved her life,Cheryl,so you're a hero!"

Lisa was just cleaning up in her kitchen when the doorbell rang and she found her in-laws on the doorstep;"Hi,guys."

"Hello,lisa."said Rachel as they followed lisa into the livingroom;"We came to see how felica is doing."

"Felica was really Jamie had to give her a sedative."answered she;"She's sleeping upstairs in the guestroom right now."

"How are you doing,lisa?"asked mack;"Are you allright?"

"I'm doing better then my aunt."started his daughter-in-law softly;"She's really crushed by mitch's death."

"She really loved him."said Rachel slowly;"I haven't seen her that happy since she was with zahn."

"How is sam doing?"asked lisa suddenly;"Is he still in the hospital?"

"Yes,but he can probably go home tomorrow."answered her father-in-law;"We stopped by to see him on our way overhere and he was pretty shaken up by his brother's death."

"I still can't understand how this could have happened lastnight."said Rachel tired;"I hope that they catch those men."

"I'm sure that they will."answered her daughter-in-law;"Jamie said that adam was furious and that he said that he was going to get them for what they did!"

That night Kathleen walked into her sister's hospitalroom with her husband and was surprised to see adam there again;"What are you doing here?"

"I sneaked in when the nurse wasn't looking."said he and got up;"I only came to see how m.j. was doing."

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately,adam."began Kathleen suspicious;"What is going on between you two?"

"Come on,Kathleen,stop giving adam such a hard time!"said her husband quickly;"Just because he and m.j. aren't together that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a right to be worried about her after what has happened."

"No,there's more to this!"answered she and turned back towards adam;"I have seen the way you look at her when you think that nobody is looking,adam,I saw it lastnight too and that's the same way you used to look at her when you guys were still together."

"What do you want me to say?"asked adam angry and walked away;"That I love her and that I realize now what a terrible mistake I made by letting her go?"

"Adam…"started his friend softly as they followed him quickly on to the hallway and grabbed adam's arm;"I'm sorry."

"So am i."answered he with a faint smile;"Look,guys,I didn't mean for you guys to find out like this!"

"Since when did you really that you were still in love with her?"said cass;"Does m.j. feel the same way and if she does then what about aaron?"

"I really thought that my feelings for m.j. were gone,cass,but eversince my birthday I started thinking more and more about her and then I found her in new York and it got worse and on the day that she came to talk to me about justin being my son again one thing just lead to another."began his friend slowly;"One minute she was making me furious while we're in the middle of a big fight and the next thing I know I was suddenly kissing her."

"I always knew that your feelings for m.j. couldn't have just disappeared."answered he;"What did m.j. do when you kissed her?"

"At first she was as stuned as I was myself and slapped me,but when I kissed her again for a second time she kissed me back."said adam with a faint smile;"I didn't see this coming and neither did she,but we both feel the same way and we want to be together again."

"But what about aaron?"asked Kathleen surprised;"M.j. is still with him,isn't she?"

"Yes,but she didn't want to tell him over the phone and wants to tell him as soon as he gets back again."answered her friend;"So,please keep this to yourself for now."

"Kathleen talked to aaron about an hour ago and he's flying downhere,adam,so if you really don't want him to find out untill m.j.'s had a chance to tell him the truth then you should be more carefull about coming downhere like this."warned cass him;"He might find it strange to find m.j.'s ex-fiancee by her bedside all the time and then he could find out the truth."

"Cass is right."said his wife;"I know it must be hard not being able to be with m.j. right now,adam,but you have to stay away from m.j. untill she has had a chance to tell aaron about her decision to be with you."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

At the hudson's donna was just on her way upstairs when the doorbell rang and when she opened the door it was like her heart stopped beating for a second;"What are you doing here?"

"Hello,donna."smiled regioneld;"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"No,I'm not!"answered she angry;"Go away and leave us alone!"

"Is that any way to talk to your father?"asked he;"I came all this way just to see my family."

"Go away!"yelled donna furious;"Just leave us alone!"

"What's all the yelling about?"asked her husband worried as he came into the hallway and became also furious when he saw regioneld on their doorstep;"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm not here to see you,stableboy!"answered regioneld;"I came to see my daughters and my granddaughters."

"Nobody wants to see you downhere,so go away or I will make you go away!"warned he regioneld and got infront of his wife;"If you're smart then you will take the first place out of here!"

"Is that a threat?"asked his father-in-law laughing;Is that suppose to scare or something,stableboy?"

"No,that's a promise!"answered Michael while he pushed regioneld of his doorstep and slammed the door shut behind him;"Stay away if you know what's good for you!"

"This is all your fault!"said his wife in tears;"Because of you he's in town now,Michael!"

"He will be gone soon enough,honey!"started he slowly and pulled donna into his arms;"I won't let him hurt you or our daughters."

Nicole was waiting in shane's livingroom for him to come home after he'd gone to the policestation for a while when she finally heard the frontdoor opening up,shane?"

"Yes,it's me."answered he and walked into the livingroom;"Have you been waiting for me here all night long?"

"No,I didn't get here untill an hour ago."said his girlfriend worried when she saw the sad look in his eyes;"Are you okay?"

"Not really."started shane softly and sat down next to her;"I went to the crime-scene at tops and there's blood everywhere,nicole."

"Is there anything that could you lead you to who's behind this,shane?"asked she;"Anything at all?"

"Maybe."said he;"Adam took a shot at one of the robbers that shot m.j. and since we found blood on the place where the robber had been standing we think that adam's bullet did hit him and that's hurt now."

"Then there must be a lead at the hospital or something because if he was wounded then they must have taken him to see a doctor at the e.r."answered Nicole surprised;"This might just be the break that you guys were waiting for."

"I doubt if they brought him to the hospital since a doctor there would call the police right away as soon as he saw the gunshot-wound,nicole,but we're going to check all the local doctors in town that sometimes do things for people that can't go to the hospital."

"That is good news,isn't it?"asked she confused when shane didn't seem happy;"Why are you still so down when you might have a lead?"

"If we had been able to catch these guys then this wouldn't have happened!"answered shane tired;"That is why it's so important that we catch them now before something like this happens again!"

At mary's place jake was cleaning up some tables when three men came in and the oldest one walked up to him;"Is ben around?"

"Who wants to know?"asked jake a bit suspicious;"What do you want with him?"

"That's none of your damn business!"answered the youngest one and grabbed jake's shirt;"Tell us where that son of a bitch is!"

"Hey,get your hands off me!"warned jake him angry as he pushed him away;"what kind of nutcase are you?"

"Calm down,George!"said the oldest son and turned towards jake again;"Look,we don't want any trouble,mister,we just want to know where ben is because we have some unfinished business with him."

"What are you doing here?"asked ben irritated as he came out of the kitchen and saw the three men standing by jake;"Get out of here!"

"Not untill you tell us where Emily is!"answered the oldest one;"Where is she,ben?"

"How should I know?"started he surprised;"Isn't she at home?"

"No,she ran off this morning!"said the third man angry and grabbed ben's shirt;"Tell us where our little sister is or else…!"

"Let go off him!"warned jake the man as he pushed him away;"If you guys came here looking for a fight then go somewhere else!"

"We didn't come here for a fight!"answered the oldest man calm and looked at the man who'd grabbed ben;"Go and wait outside,frank!"

"But…"started he surprised;"He must know where she is,ed,this is all his fault!"

"Go outside with George and wait for me there!"began Edward again as he looked at the two men;"Go now!"

"Did Emily really run away?"asked ben worried after frank had left with George;"Why?"

"Why do you think?"said the older man annoyed;"Because she thinks that she really loves you and that she can't live without you,ben!"

"But she isn't here,Edward,she really isn't!"answered he;"I haven't seen or heard from her either."

"If you do hear from my sister or if she were to show up here then call us right away!"started the man slowly;"We will be in Chicago for about a week or so."

"What was that all about?"asked jake surprised after Edward had left too;"Who's Emily and who were those men?"

"Emily was a girl that I was seeing for about 18 months or so untill the end of last month when her family found out and put a stop to it."said his cousin;"Those guys are her brothers and it must be really serious if they came all the way downhere."

The next day marlee was about to saddle up her horse when she saw vicky's car pulling up in the driveway and she walked up to her sister,who was just getting out of the car;"Goodmorning,Vicky,what are you doing here this early?"

"Probaly the same thing as you are."laughed her sister;"How was your date lastnight?"

"It was great,vicky."smiled marlee as they both went inside the stable;"Ryan is a real gentleman."

"So,is he a good kisser?"asked she teasing;"Or did it go further then that?"

"Ofcourse not!"answered her sister annoyed;"Not on a first date!"

"Hey,relax!"laughed Vicky;"I was just teasing you,marlee."

"Everything was perfect lastnight and I haven't had such a good time in I don't know how long."said she;Ryan was really nice and he didn't try to push me into anything that I wasn't ready for."

"I'm happy for you,marlee,I really am."started her sister slowly as she became more serious;"I ran into Michael on my way into the gate and he seemed pretty distracted or something,so what's up with him?"

"It seems that regioneld showed up at the house lastnight and that it really freaked donna out."answered she softly;"She's really worried that regioneld is gonna to mess everything up again."

"I wouldn't worry that much if I were here because once he gets it through that thick skull of his that nobody wants him downhere regioneld will go away again."said her Vicky;"He wouldn't dare to make trouble again."

"Let's hope so,because I have never seen Michael and donna like this before."began her sister still worried;"Who knows what either of them would do to stop regioneld from hurting our family again."

At the hospital mary was sitting next to vince's bed when Jamie came in;"Goodmorning,guys."

"Goodmorning."said vince looking up;"So,when can I go home?"

"Maybe in a day or two."answered the young doctor;"That depends on the testresults,vince."

"That's great."smiled he and turned towards mary,but was surprised when she didn't react to the news at all;"Isn't that good news,mary?"

"What is?"asked mary confused as she looked up;"I'm sorry,vince,I was just somewhere else with my mind."

"I will talk to you guys later on."said Jamie quickly as he walked away again;"Maybe you can try to go for a walk again later on,vince."

"Sure,Jamie,thanks."answered he and looked at mary;"What's going on with you,mary,eversince yesterday you've been really distracted and quiet."

"Nothing is going on."said she lying;"I'm just a bit tired,so maybe I'm coming down with something."

"Are you sure that there is nothing wrong?"asked vince not convinced;"I want to know if there is something wrong with you?"

"There is nothing wrong with me!"answered mary softly;"Let's just focus on getting you home again,vince."

Mac was about to leave for the office when Amanda came down the stairs;"I thought that you'd already had left for the hospital,Amanda."

"No,I didn't."answered she;"I thought that you'd left already too."

"How long are you going to keep this up?"asked mac tired;"You can try to avoid us as much as you like,but that isn't going to change the fact that your mother is dying!"

"I don't want to hear it!"said his daughter quickly and tried to walk past her father;"I have to go to the hospital,dad."

"You're the one who wanted to know the truth!"started he slowly;"Your mother is dying and it isn't going to go away by pretending that this isn't happening."

"How was I suppose to know that you two were keeping something like that from me?"asked Amanda angry;"Do you expect me to be happy about the fact that mom told me this secret?"

"Maybe you will be more carefull with what you wish for next time,Amanda."answered her mother as she came into the hallway;"You insisted that you'd be told the truth even though I begged you to leave it alone and finally I did,so this was your own choice and you can't blame us for not being happy about what you heard."

"But I just don't want you to die,mom!"said she with tears in her eyes;"I just can't believe that this is happening!"

"Do you think that this is what I want,Amanda,do you think that I want to have this tumor in my brain and that I want to die?"asked Rachel tired;"I don't want to die,honey,but there's nothing that I can do to change that and it's something that I will have no other choice then to accept."

"Who else knows?"started her daughter softly as she pulled herself together when she realized that she wasn't being fair towards her parents;"Am I the only one that you have told?"

"Yes,you are,honey,your mother didn't want to tell any of you yet."answered mac as he put his arms around his daughter;"We will just have to make the best of the time that we have left."

At mary's place Kathleen had just opened up for business together with her brother and her cousin when aaron walked in;"Hi,guys."

"Hi,aaron."said Kathleen as she turned around;"How was your flight?"

"It was fine."answered he;"How is m.j. doing,Kathleen,is she still unconscious and where's justin?"

"Justin is with my babysitter right now,together with my son,and m.j. isn't awaked yet,but the doctor said that she's gonna be fine."started she hesitating;"But he's worried about something else."

"What is he worried about then?"asked aaron surprised;"Is there something wrong with her that you haven't told me about yet?"

"That's something that we wanted to ask you."began ben slowly;"What happened in new York,aaron,why is m.j. on heavy painkillers?"

"The doctor found a high amount of painkillers in m.j.'s blood,just like he did when he examined her after she passed out when she was in the 24h store when it got robbed."explained his sister quickly when she saw the confused look in aaron's eyes;"He also said that he found two scar-wounds and two operation-scars,aaron,so we're all curious about what happened to my sister."

"I told m.j. to tell you guys about what had happened in new York,but she was so dead-set against it and wanted to wait."answered he;"On april the 5th of this year we were walking home when we got caught up in a drive-by shooting and m.j. got shot in her head as well as in her stomach."

"What happened then?"asked jake shocked;"That sounds really serious."

"After many hours of surgery they were finally able to remove all the bullets and patch her up,but m.j. had gone into a coma and she stayed in a coma for about twenty days or so."said aaron;"After that she stayed in the hospital for another two months where she had physical therapy to help her use everything normal again and when she got out all she had to do for a while longer was use a cain to help her with walking,but the doctors said that it would only be temporary."

"So that would mean that she probably got heavy painkillers after the surgery."said Kathleen;"But why is she still taking them now,aaron,is she still in that much pain?"

"I don't know,Kathleen,I knew she still had headache sometimes,but I didn't know that she was still in so much pain."said he softly;"I had no idea that she was still taking so many painkillers or that her doctor was still subscribing those to her."

"Maybe we should tell Jamie about this right away."suggested ben;"He will have to know about this."

"That's a good idea,ben,I will take aaron to the hospital."answered his sister as she turned towards aaron;"Don't worry if she doesn't wake up yet,because Jamie said that it's not that strange after a headtrauma."


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Around lunchtime cass was lunching at a little diner near his office with another lawer,talking about business when heard yelling near the door and when he looked up he saw Michael yelling at regioneld,so quickly he rushed downthere,after excusing himself to the man that he was with;"Hey,what's going on here?"

"This stableboy is trying to spoil my lunch."answered regioneld as he pointed at Michael,who was standing next to his table;"I came here for a quiet lunch."

"I was only explaining to this scumbag that he should leave my wife the hell alone!"said Michael angry;"If he's smart then he will leave town as soon as possible!"

"Why would I want to leave my daughter alone?"asked his father-in-law smiling;"I was thinking about asking her to have dinner with me tonight,stable boy."

"Stay away from her!"yelled he furious and grabbed regioneld's suit;"If you keep messing with my family I will kill you!"

"Let go off him,Michael!"said cass while he pulled Michael with him,outside and far away from regioneld;"Are you insane?"

"Do you have any idea how upset my wife is about him being back in town again?"asked his friend still angry and pulled away from cass;"This is driving her insane,cass,she's so worried about what he's going to do this time?"

"I can understand that this is very hard for you guys,but attacking regioneld and threatening to kill him in public isn't very smart!"warned he him;"Try to ignore him or you will get into a lot of trouble!"

At the policestation adam was sitting behind his desk,trying to find something in the papers infront of him that could lead them to the robbers while ryan was working behind the computer,when shane came in;"I think that we've got something."

"What then?"asked adam and jumped up from his chair;"What,shane?"

"One of my informants told me about this doctor that took care of a man on Saturday night and he said that this man had been shot."answered he and turned towards ryan;"I got the address,ryan,so let's go."

"I'm coming too."said his friend quickly;"Wait for me."

"No,you're not!"started shane hesitating and pushed adam back into the office when he wanted to follow them;"You're staying right here,adam!"

"Why?"asked he angry;"I want to get these guys just as much as you do!"

"That's the whole problem,adam,you're too involved in this!"answered ryan;"You might do something stupid to mess everything up!"

"I wasn't talking to you!"yelled adam at ryan;"Mind your own business!"

"Ryan is right!"said his friend;"Come on,adam,what do you think might happen if you came face to face with those guys?"

"Allright,maybe you're right."started he tired;"But what am I suppose to do then?"

"Just go to the hospital or something to see how m.j. is doing."answered shane slowly;"Just let us handle this!"

Sam was still half asleep in his own bed,where Amanda had brought him too as soon as they had come home from the hospital,when he heard somebody coming in and saw his wife when he opened his eyes;"Hey,baby."

"Did I wake you up?"asked she worried;"I just came to see if you were okay and if you needed anything."

"Yes,you!"smiled her husband sleepy and pulled her next to him with his good arm;"Come here."

"Sam….!"started Amanda hesitating;"The doctors told you to take it easy."

What does he know?"laughed he,but stopped when he felt the pain cutting through his arm like a knive;"Damned!"

"Are you okay?"asked his wife worried again;"Can I get you anything for the pain?"

"A kiss would help."answered sam with a faint smile;"Or maybe two."

"You're crazy."smiled Amanda and kissed him gently;"I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you,sam."

"You didn't lose me,Amanda,I was pretty lucky."said he softly;"I had more luck then my brother."

That afternoon mary was sitting in m.j.'s hospitalroom,together with ben and aaron;"I still can't believe that she kept all that from us!"

"She probably didn't want to worry everybody,mom."said ben;"You know what m.j. is like."

"When is she going to wake up again?"asked aaron worried;"She's been unconscious for almost two days now,mary."

"Jamie said that we shouldn't worry about that and that she could wake up at any moment now."answered she when she suddenly saw m.j. slowly opening up her eyes;"M.j…..?"

"Hi,honey."smiled aaron when he saw that she was awake again;"How are you feeling?"

"I….."whispered she still half asleep;"What…?"

"It's okay,sweetheart,you're gonna be just fine."said her mother as she gently gave her a kiss on her forhead;"Everything's gonna be just fine again."

"A…."started m.j. again softly,but she was still so out of it that she began to fall back to sleep again;"Ad…."

"What did she mean by that?"asked aaron confused and looked at mary;"What do you think she wants?"

"It probably meant nothing,aaron,she was hardly awake."answered she lying when she realized what m.j. probably had been trying to say;"But atleast she's awake again."

"I guess you're right."smiled aaron;"I'm glad she made it through this."

At mary's place jake was standing behind the counter when his girlfriend walked in;"Hey,baby,what brings you downhere?"

"I came to help you downhere."answered she and got a bit angry when she saw him trying hide his laugh;"What's so funny about that?"

"Come on,Vicky,it is pretty funny when I think about you helping out downhere."smiled jake;"You're not used to working."

"I used to work in a place just like this when we first met,jake !"said his girlfriend;"So,I know how to work for a living!"

"Yes,but that was a lot of years ago."answered he;"You haven't worked for a long time."

"So,does that mean that you don't need my help?"asked Vicky annoyed and turned around;"Fine!"

"Don't be mad at me,baby,I was just teasing you."begged her boyfriend as he pulled her behind the counter and into his arms;"Ofcourse I can use your help downhere."

"Maybe I don't want to help you anymore,jake !"answered she teasing while she pushed him away;"Maybe I will just go shopping like all the other rich brats."

"Would you please stay and help me out?"asked jake with a smile on his face as he pulled her back into his arms,while he kissed her;"Pretty please?"

"Since you've asked me so friendly."started his girlfriend laughing as she kissed him back;"Yes,ofcourse."

Rachel was sitting by the pool when Amanda came outside;"Is sam asleep again?"

"Yes,after I gave him his medication."answered her daughter and sat down;"Is dad still at brava?"

"He called about twenty minutes ago to tell me that he's going to be late."started Rachel hesitating;"Did you tell sam about…?"

"Ofcourse not,mom."said she irritated;"He just lost his brother and got shot in his arm,so I didn't think that this was the right time to tell him that you're…."

"You're right."answered her mother tired;"It's going to be hard for Mathew too because not only did he just lose mitch,but he's also going to lose me too."

"When are you going to tell him?"asked Amanda worried;"Are you going to fly down to England to tell him,mom?"

"Yes,we want to fly downthere in a few days or so to tell him."began she slowly;"I had decided to tell him about my condition when he was here with us again during the holidays if that were possible,but we can't wait that long to tell him about mitch's death."

"He's gonna be really upset to find out about mitch's death."answered her daughter hesitating;"When did you plan to tell everybody about you…"

"I wanted to wait untill the baby was born to tell you,because I was worried about causing you to go into an early labour or something if I told you,Amanda,or atleast if my health suddenly didn't take a turn for the worst then."said Rachel;"I wanted to tell Jamie in a few months and I hadn't decided when to tell the rest."

"But why were you so worried that something was going to happen to me or the baby,mom,because I know now and nothing has happened,has it?"asked she;"This morning dad told me that you tried to keep this from him too,because you didn't want him to worry."

"I just didn't want all of you to look at me differently."started her mother with a sad smile;"Often when people know that you're going to die they suddenly begin acting all worried around you and I didn't want that for me."

"Nobody's going to act any different around you,mom."answered Amanda;"We all love you and we want to make the best of the time that we have left with you."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

At the hospital mary had just gone to get some coffee after just being in her daughter's room and was on her way to see vince when she ran into Kathleen;"Hi,honey,are you here to see your father or your sister?"

"Both."said she;"I ran into aaron just now and he said that m.j. woke up for a bit a while back."

"Yes,she did."answered her mother;"Isn't that great news?"

"That's great,mama,that means that she's gonna be just fine."

"But there was one strange thing just before m.j. went back to sleep again."started she slowly;"It looked like she was trying to call out to adam just before she went back to sleep again."

"Why would she do that?"asked Kathleen and tried to surprised;"Maybe she tried to say something else."

"No,she said ad… and I'm sure she was trying to say adam's name."said she;"Aaron was confused and had no idea what m.j. was trying to say,so I told him that it probably didn't mean anything and that she was still pretty out of it."

"Well,maybe it didn't mean anything,mama,because there's no reason why she'd call out to adam."

"No,I guess not."said mary when she saw the look in her daughter's eyes and realized that Kathleen was keeping something from her;"Unless you would know of a reason?"

"Why would I know of a reason?"asked she uncomfortable;"As if m.j. would ever tell me anything."

"But maybe adam would."answered her mother softly;"Why would m.j. try to call out to adam instead of aaron,Kathleen,tell me the truth!"

"Probaly because they have decided to get back together again and m.j. was going to tell aaron that once he got back."started Kathleen hesitating;"Adam told me the truth lastnight,mama."

"When did this all happen?"asked she a bit shocked;"Since when has this been going on?"

"Since m.j. went to explain to adam about justin again."answered her daughter;"They wanted to keep it a secret untill m.j. had a chance to tell aaron."

"So that is why adam was acting so strange yesterdaymorning and that is why he spent the night outside of her room."said mary;"If only adam hadn't been so stubborn two years ago then they wouldn't be in this mess right now,kathleen."

"Adam knows that too,mama,he's feeling pretty guilty about letting her go back then and he doesn't want to make the same mistake again."started she softly;"If m.j. really loves adam then it's better that she breaks up with aaron,instead of staying with him while she's in love with somebody else."

It was just past seven when Nicole walked in on her sister,who was fighting with Michael about regioneld again;"Are you guys going at it again?"

"It's his fault that regioneld is back!"answered donna angry as she pointed at her husband;"If he hadn't tried to track down regioneld then he wouldn't be here right now,Nicole!"

"You don't know that,donna!"started she slowly;"I know that you're upset about him being in town again,but blaming Michael isn't the answer and it isn't going to make regioneld go away again!"

"If I could throw regioneld out of town right now I would do it,blackie,but I can't!"said Michael tired;"We will just have to try to ignore him and wait untill he goes away again."

"Why don't you two let me babysit kristy and go out somewhere,michael?"asked his sister-in-law;"Maybe it will take your mind off things."

"That sounds like a great idea."answered he as he put his arms around his wife and kissed her;"How about it,donna?"

"I don't know."started donna hesitating;"I'm not really in the mood."

"But maybe this will get you in a better mood."said Nicole;"Come on,donna,you guys have done nothing but fight lately and you both could use a nice night out on the town or something like that."

"Nicole is right."smiled her brother-in-law and lifted donna up in his arms while he carried her through the frontdoor;"We're going out and that's that!"

"Have fun."laughed Nicole as she closed the door behind them;"See you later."

At mary's place ben walked in,after he'd been at the hospital,when his sister came up to him;"There's somebody here to see you,ben."

"Who?"asked he surprised;"An older man?"

"No,a girl."started Kathleen slowly;"She says that she's your girlfriend?"

"Emily!"said her brother;"Where is she?"

"Right here."answered a voice behind him and when he turned around he saw her standing there;"Please don't be mad at me,because I had to come."

"I'm not mad at you."smiled ben as he pulled her into his arms;"I was just worried about you when I heard that you'd run away."

"Who told you about that,ben?"asked his girlfriend worried;"Did my brothers call you?"

"They were here,em."answered he and sat down with her at a table;"They thought that you were here and that I was trying to hide you or something."

"I'm sorry."said Emily softly;"I didn't think that they would come downhere."

"Why did you run away?"asked her boyfriend;"Do you have any idea how dangerous it was for you to travel downhere all alone,emily?"

"I know,ben,but I just couldn't stay there anymore after you had left."answered she;"I didn't want things to be over between us!"

"Neither did I,em,I didn't want to leave you there."began ben slowly;"But your family didn't leave me much of a choice."

"I don't blame you for leaving,ben,because I know that my family forced you out of palm springs and away from me."said his girlfriend softly as she took his hand into hers;"But try to understand that I had to run away and come downhere."

"Hey,it's okay."smiled he and kissed her;"I'm glad that you're here now and downhere your family can't tell me what to do or force me away,so I'm not letting you go anymore!"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Cheryl was coming out of chad's hospitalroom when she saw her mother coming towards her;"Hi,mama."

"Hello,sweety."said she;"Have you been here all night?"

"Yes,I have."answered her daughter hesitating;"There's something that I haven't told you yet,mama."

"What could that be,cheryl?"asked mary with a smile;"Maybe something about you and chad?"

"You know,don't you?"started she surprised;"Did scott tell you?"

"Yes,but I already thought that something was going on between you for a while now because of the way you two were looking at eachother sometimes."answered her mother;"How long has this being going on?"

"Since my birthday."said Cheryl;"He really loves me and I love him too,mama."

"But why did you keep this a secret for so long?"asked she confused;"Why didn't you just tell us?"

"Because of the way that you all feel about chad,mama,I know that you all think that he was somehow involved in whatever messed up m.j.'s weddingday and her relationship with adam."answered her daughter softly;"But I can't hide my relationship with chad anymore,so if you guys can't accept it then that's your problem and not mine!"

"I don't have a problem with you seeing chad,honey,not now and also not before he saved your life either."began mary slowly;"I don't understand how you could have thought that anybody would have had a problem with chad."

"Don't you think that pops would have hated it if he'd known?"asked she irritated;"He would have hated the idea of me seeing chad."

"But that's got nothing to do with chad himself,Cheryl,because in your father's eyes nobody is good enough for his little girl."laughed her mother;"He didn't approve of cass either,did he?"

"Maybe you're right."said Cheryl with a faint smile;"It doesn't matter anymore either,mama,because I'm not hiding my relationship with chad anymore."

"Good for you."smiled she as she gave Cheryl a hug;"If you really love chad then you shouldn't try to hide that."

Four days later adam was sitting in m.j.'s hospitalroom when she slowly opened her eyes;"Adam…?"

"Hey,sleepyhead."smiled he and was happy to see that m.j. was really awake this time because the few times that she'd opened her eyes so far she'd still been pretty out of it;"How are you feeling?"

"Tired."answered m.j. with a faint smile;"How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week."said her boyfriend;"But Jamie said that you're going to be just fine again,m.j."

"Where's justin?"asked she worried;"Who's looking after him?"

"He's staying at your parents' house and your family is taking good care of him and I have checked up on him a few times too."started adam hesitating;"Aaron told your family about what happened in new York."

"I wish that he hadn't."answered his girlfriend softly;"Telling anybody isn't going to change what happened,adam."

"Jamie said that you'd been taking a lot of heavy painkillers again."said he;"Why did you keep taking so many painkillers?"

"Because of my headaches."began m.j. tired;"After what happened in new York I started getting terrible headaches and it kept getting worse,so taking those painkillers is the only thing that takes away the pain for a while."

"Why didn't you just go back to your doctor to see what was causing those headaches?"asked er boyfriend surprised;"Even aaron didn't seem to know that you were still taking so many heavy painkillers,m.j."

"I spend months in that damn hospital,adam,I didn't want to go backthere!"answered she irritated;"I thought that it would go away again."

"Well,I'm sure that Jamie can help you get better again."said adam as he got up again and kissed her gently;"Try to get some rest and I will come back again tonight."

"Adam…"said his girlfriend just before she fell back to sleep again;"I love you."

"I love you too."smiled he while he kissed her again before he walked out of her room,into the hallway;"Sweet dreams,baby."

"What are you doing here?"asked a voice suddenly as adam wanted to walk towards the elevators;"Where you just in my girlfriend's room?"

"I only went there to see how she was doing."answered adam lying when he saw aaron standing infront of him;"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yes,I do!"said he irritated;"M.j. has been through enough and she doesn't need you making more trouble for her!"

"Why would I want to make more trouble for her?"asked adam angry and started to walk away again;"I was just worried about her after what happened at tops and I only came to see how she was doing."

Amanda was getting ready to leave for work when same came down the stairs,all dressed up;"Why aren't you still in bed,sam?"

"Because I don't need to stay in bed all day long."answered he;"If you can wait five more minutes then I will drive with you to brava."

"No way!"said Amanda surprised;"You're not going back to work yet,sam,your arm isn't better yet and you've just buried your brother yesterdaymorning!"

"There are enough things that I can do without using my arm and staying home isn't going to bring me my brother back again,amanda!"started her husband irritated;"Don't you need all the help that you can get now that your parents have gone to see Mathew in England?"

"The doctor said that you had to take it easy and that you couldn't use your arm for a while."answered she tired;"Please don't be so stubborn about this,because I don't want to fight with you on this!"

"Allright,I will stay home."said sam when he saw the sad look in his wife's eyes and put his good arm around her;"Maybe you should stay home too,honey,you look exhausted."

"Don't you think that I'd rather stay home with you instead of going to the office with everything that has been going on lately?"asked his wife a bit angry,but calmed down again when she realized that she wasn't being fair towards sam and kissed him;"I'm sorry,sam,I shouldn't get angry at you."

"You can get angry at me as much as you want,honey,I can take it."smiled he and kissed her back;"I know what a pressure you are under right now with your parents being in England,amanda,so it's okay if you need to blow off some steam now and then."

At the 's ben was just making breakfast for his girlfriend when she came into the kitchen;"Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning."smiled ben as he kissed her;"I was just about to bring you some breakfast in bed."

"Where's your mother,ben?"asked his girlfriend and sat down;"Is she still asleep?"

"No,she went to the hospital to see if my dad can go home today."answered he;"Are you okay,em,because you seemed pretty sick this morning and I'd expected you to stay in bed all day."

"I'm fine."started Emily hesitating;"I…."

"What is it,em?"asked her boyfriend worried;"Is there something that you haven't told me yet?"

"I…."said she softly;"I'm late,ben."

"Late for what?"asked ben relieved that it wasn't something serious;"Where do you have to go,Emily,I can drive you there."

"Not that kind of late."answered his girlfriend tired;"I'm three weeks late,ben."

"Oh."said he stuned;"Did you take a test yet?"

"No,I hadn't even realized that I was late with everything that had been going on lately untill the end of last week."

"So,that's why ran you away from home."started ben slowly;"You were worried about how your family would react."

"I also couldn't stand being without you there anymore."answered Emily as she began to cry;"What am I going to do now?"

"Don't you mean we?"asked her boyfriend and put his arms around her;"We're in this together and I love you no matter what,em,so if you really are pregnant then I'm not going to leave you to raise this kid all by yourself."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Just before noon donna was coming down the stairs,after she'd put kristy down for her nap,when she saw marlee standing by the door with a strange look on her face while she was holding a greeting-card;"Is everything allright,marlee?"

"Yes,everything's fine,donna."said her daughter quickly as she tried to hide the card and wanted to walk away;"I'm hungry."

"Wait a minute."started she surprised and grabbed marlee's arm;"From who did you get that card?"

"What card?"asked marlee;"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I meant the card that you've just put beneath your shirt,marlee,that card!"answered her mother irritated;"Let me see it now!"

"Okay."said she and gave donna the card;"It's nothing."

"Nothing?"asked donna suddenly angry after reading the card;"This card is from regioneld."

"Please,donna,calm down and don't make such a big deal about it!"started her daughter worried;"I don't care if he sends a thousand cards,because it won't change the fact that I don't want anything to do with him!"

"He should stay away from my family!"said she furious and opened the frontdoor;"I'm going to make sure that he doesn't come near any of you again!"

"Come back here,donna!"begged marlee when she saw her mother rushing outside and getting into her car;"Don't do something stupid!"

Vince was already dressed when mary walked into his hospitalroom;"What took you so long to get back again?"

"What's with the rush?"asked she annoyed;"Has Jamie been here to give you a last check-up yet?"

"Yes,five minutes ago."answered vince;"He said that everything was fine and that I could go home."

"Then I'm not that late if he was just here."said mary and grabbed the wheelchair that was standing in the corner of the room;"Sit down,vince,so that we can go."

"I'm not getting into that thing again!"started he surprised;"There is nothing wrong with my legs and I'm feeling fine!"

"Jamie said that you had to take it easy and that you had to rest as much as possible,so sit down,vince!"

"No,I'm going to walk out of here!"answered vince a bit angry;"There is no reason why I have to sit in that thing to get to the car,mary!"  
"Do you want to go home or do you want to stay here,vince ?"asked she tired;"Unless you sit down right now I'm going to get Jamie and ask him to keep you here for a while longer!"

"Allright,allright."said he stuned by the way that she was acting and sat down into the wheelchair;"Is everybody at mary's place?"

"I don't know."answered mary uncomfortable as they went on their way out of the hospital;"Let's just get you home."

"Is everything okay?"asked vince worried when he noticed that mary was suddenly very quiet;"Mary?"

"Stop asking me that!"warned she him irritated;"Can we please just go home?"

At brava sam was on his way towards his wife's office,after taking a cab downthere,when he ran into tara;"Hello,sam,nice to see you again."

"I wish that I could say the same thing."said he annoyed;"I'm here to see my wife and I'm not in the mood for you and your games."

"Why are you being so unfriendly?"asked his wife's secretary with a smile;"Haven't I been nice to you,Sammy,haven't I kept our little secret from your wife?"

"Shut up!"answered sam angry;"Just stay out of my way and whatever it is that you want it's not gonna happen!"

"Sam?"asked a voice behind them and when they turned around they saw Amanda standing there;"What are you doing here and why are you telling my secretary to stay out of your way and telling her to shut up?"

"I…."began he softly and suddenly he was really tired of all the lies;"She's trying to blackmail me with something that happened a few weeks ago."

"But why would she do that and what happened that she could blackmail you with?"started Amanda confused as she looked at the both of them;"Tara?Sam?"

"Your husband has had an affair with me."answered her secretary;"He begged me not to tell you."

"No,it wasn't like that!"said sam tired;"It only happened once,Amanda,after we'd had a really big fight and I got so waisted."

"Is that suppose to be an excuse?"asked she shocked;"How could you sleep with somebody else,sam?"

"I don't know,Amanda,I don't even remember going home with her or anything else that happened after that."answered her husband;"I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"If he really didn't want it to happen then what was he doing in my bed?"started tara again;"It's easy to say that he was drunk."

"Shut up,tara,you're fired!"yelled Amanda furious and sam out of her way as she started to run away;"And I'm through with you too,sam,so go to hell!"

In m.j.'s hospitalroom aaron was sitting next to her bed when Kathleen walked in;"Hi,aaron,has she woken up yet today?"

"No,not while I was here."answered he hesitating;"I ran into adam cory this morning just as he was coming out of m.j.'s room."

"Oh."said Kathleen;"Well,maybe he just wanted to see if she was okay or something."

"That's what he said too."started aaron slowly;"But why would he come overhere so early,Kathleen,instead of coming during visting-hours?"

"Probaly because he's got to work."answered she quickly;"Adam is pretty busy at the station right now,aaron,because they're working really hard to get the guys who did this."

"Maybe you're right."said he;"Maybe I'm just overreacting because I know that m.j. still loves him and that worries me."

"How do you know if she still loves adam?"asked Kathleen surprised;"She's with you,isn't she?"

"Yes,but m.j. has always been honest with the fact that she never got over adam and that she will never love another man like that again."answered aaron;"M.j. didn't even want to go out with me at first because of her feelings for adam,kathleen,but I convinced her that our relationship could still work even if she still was in love with him and that maybe in time her feelings for him would fade away and that justin needed a father-figure in his life."

"But what are her feelings for you then?"started she confused;"Isn't it hard for you to know that she's in love with another man,aaron?"

"No,she might love adam,but m.j.'s with me and I know that she does care about me."smiled he as they suddenly saw m.j. opening her eyes again;"Hi,honey,welcome back again."

"How do you feel?"asked her sister;"Can we get you anything?"

"I'm thirsty."whispered m.j. almost;"And my head hurts."

"I will get you something to drink and ask the nurse for a painkiller or something."said aaron and walked out of the room;"I'll be right back."

"Hey,it's going to be okay again."promised Kathleen when she saw the sad look in m.j.'s eyes;"Just focus on getting better again."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

At tops,which had just been re-opened since a day after being cleaned and fixed up again,regioneld had just finished his lunch and was on his way to the elevators when donna came up to him,looking pretty mad;"Stay away from me and my family!"

"What is it with everybody these days?"smiled regioneld surprised;"Can't I do something nice without everybody jumping down my throat for it?"

"If you don't go away and leave us alone I will make you regret it!"warned his daughter him angry;"I'd rather kill you myself then let you hurt somebody again!"

"Those are bigs words for you,donna."said he slowly and leaned towards her;"Do you think that you've got it in you to kill somebody in cold blood?"

"Just try me!"yelled donna just when her sister came out of the elevator,together with shane,and pulled out a gun;"Stay here and find out!"

"What the hell are you doing?"asked her sister shocked when she saw donna standing there with a gun pointed at regioneld;"Are you insane or something?"

"Do you really think that you can pull the trigger?"laughed regioneld and seemed pretty calm for somebody who was looking straight into a loaded gun;"It's one thing to point a gun at somebody,donna,but another to really shoot somebody with it!"

"Give me the gun!"said shane as he slowly grabbed donna's arm and took the gun away from her,while he turned towards regioneld;"Maybe you should go away to where ever you have to go,because you're only making things worse."

"Untill next time."smiled he and walked into the elevator;"Untill we meet again!"

"Have you totally lost your mind?"asked Nicole still in shock and grabbed donna's arm;"Don't you know how dangerous guns are,donna,what if it had gone off?"

"It will go off if he doesn't leave town!"answered her sister angry as she began to walk away;"I won't let him hurt our family again,Nicole!"

"Donna!"called she on after her,but donna didn't stop and got into the elevator before Nicole could stop her;"Wait a minute!"

"This is getting out of hand!"started her boyfriend worried;"You should talk to your sister or to Michael before she does something stupid."

"She wasn't going to use it,shane,she would never do something as stupid as that!"said Nicole softly;"Donna could never kill somebody."

"People can do crazy things when they are pushed far enough!"answered he;"The fact that donna had it with her when she came downhere is proof enough that she's ready and able to use it on your father!"

Later that day at the 's vince was laying on the couch in the livingroom when Kathleen came in with cass and ray;"Hi,pops,how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine."answered he irritated;"Your mother keeps asking me that the whole time too."

"She's just worried about you,vince."laughed cass;"Everybody is."

"Where's your sister?"asked his father-in-law all of a sudden and turned towards Kathleen;"I've asked your mother about it,but she didn't give me a straight answer."

"Cheryl is probably at mary's place."answered Kathleen quickly;"Where is mama anyway."

"I didn't mean Cheryl,but m.j. because your youngest sister was here when we got back and your mother's upstairs putting the little boy,that was here when I got home,to bed,kathleen."said her father a bit angry;"She keeps avoiding all of my questions and I want to know what the hell is going on here!"

"Please just calm down,pops,before you end back up in the hospital."warned she him worried when mary came into the livingroom;"Is justin asleep?"

"Almost."answered mary and turned towards vince;"Jamie said that you couldn't get worked up over everything anymore,vince!"

"Then just tell me the truth and I won't have to get all worked up again!"started he again;"Where is m.j. and who's that kid,mary,why is he here?"

"That kid is your grandson,vince,his name is justin."said she softly;"He's m.j. and adam's son."

"Their what?"asked vince shocked;"How long have you known about this and why didn't you tell me,mary?"

"We found out not too long after m.j. came back from new York and we didn't tell you because you'd just had a heartattack."answered mary hesitating;"There's also something else that I haven't told you yet,vince,last saturdaynight m.j. got shot at her welcome-home party at tops and she's in the hospital."

"What else haven't you told me?"began he furious and got all worked up;"What else don't I know?"

"Calm down,pops!"warned his daughter him worried when she saw how upset her father was;"If you don't calm down right now I'm going to call up Jamie and make him send you back to the hospital again!"

"Okay,I will calm down."answered vince tired;"But I do want you to tell me everything that has been going on downhere and that I don't know about yet!"

"Only if you promise me that you will remain calm!"said mary;"I don't want you to have another heartattack!"

"I promise."said he softly;"Please just tell me the truth!"

At the cory's Amanda had just walked in after she'd been driving around for hours,when sam came out of the livingroom;"What are you doing here,sam?"

"Please just listen to me."begged he;"It wasn't like tara made it out to be!"

"I don't care what it was like!"said Amanda;"You cheated one me,sam,nothing that you say can make that sound any better!"

"But I never meant to cheat on you!"answered her husband;"I was so mad at you that night and at first I went to tops to get drunk,where I ran into mitch and he told me to go home,amanda,but I was so angry at you that I went somewhere else to get waisted."

"Did mitch know about you cheating on me?"asked she surprised;"You guys must have been laughing your heads off behind my back!"

"No,mitch just said that you were better off without knowing about my one mistake and that it would only hurt you."said sam tired;"Mitch was right."

"Your brother wasn't right at all,sam,he was just as stupid and dumm as you are!"yelled his wife furious,but calmed down a bit when she saw the look on his face and realized that she'd gone too far with that remark about his brother,who he had just lost,as sam suddenly turned around and walked away;"Sam…"

"I need to think."started he softly while he walked out of the house with Amanda right behind him and got into his car;"I'm really sorry about what happened,Amanda."

"Get out of that car,sam,you're in no state to drive with that arm!"warned his wife him worried and wanted to open up the cardoor,but he locked it from the inside;"Sam!"

"I'm sorry!"answered sam again and drove off,leaving Amanda behind.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Adam was working with shane in their office when ryan walked in;"I might have a real lead?"

"What then?"asked adam irritated;"Just like that doctor that didn't know anything more then that he'd helped a man that had been shot,ryan,but couldn't give us any details or anything that could help us?"

"No,this is better!"answered he;"A pawnshop in chicago called us to let us know that one the items that was stolen has turned up in their shop."

"That's good news."said shane looking up;"Did they say who brought it in,ryan?"

"It seems that the man who brought it in is somebody who has been there a few times before,so they know who he is and where he lives."smiled his friend;"So,how is that for a break,guys?"

"What are we waiting for then?"asked adam and jumped up from behind his desk;"Let's check it out!"

"Calm down,adam!"answered ryan and stopped adam before he walked out of the office;"I will check this out with shane!"

"No,not again!"started he annoyed;"I have every right to be on this case too!"

"We're only going to check it out!"said his friend as he got up too;"That's all."

"I want to come too!"answered adam angry;"I want to be there when we catch those guys!"

"That is just the reason why we're doing this without you!"began ryan irritated too;"You're not objective enough on this case,adam!"

"Just stay here untill we get back again,adam,maybe this is a dead end too."said shane and followed ryan out of the office;"We'll be back soon enough!"

That night Michael was waiting for his wife to come home when she finally walked in;"Where have you been since lunch?"  
"Out and about."answered she softly;"Why?"

"Because I was worried about you,donna,first I get a call from marlee to tell me what had happened here at lunch and then Nicole called me to tell me that you had gone off the deep end at tops!"started Michael slowly;"Why on earth did you go to tops with gun?"

"To make him understand that I was serious about him staying away!"said his wife angry;"I'd rather see him dead then near us again,Michael!"

"Where did you get the gun?"asked he worried;"How long have you had it?"

"I bought it a few days ago."answered donna;"He has to go away!"

"Pulling a gun on him isn't going to make him go away!"began her husband slowly;"It's only going to make things worse,donna!"

"Letting him hurt us is going to make things worse!"said she in tears;"I can't go through that again!"

"You won't have to!"promised Michael as he pulled her into his arms;"I'm not going to let him or anybody else hurt us anymore!"

Amanda was sitting on the couch at home,worried sick about sam and also in a lot of pain from her stomach,when her brother came in with his wife;"Have you found sam yet?"

"No,not yet."answered Jamie and got worried when he saw how much pain his sister was in;"Are you okay?"

"As soon as sam gets back again I'll be fine."started she softly;"I've just got a bit of a stomach-ache,Jamie,that's all."

"Then why don't we go to the hospital for a check-up for you and the baby?"asked her sister-in-law;"You can't be too carefull right now."

"I can't go."said Amanda;"What if sam comes back again,lisa?"

"We will leave a note that says that we took you to the hospital for a check-up,so he will know where you are when he comes home."answered she;"You have to see sharlene for a check-up."

"Maybe sam's at tops or something."said her husband while he helped Amanda up;"Come on,Amanda,you have to have this check-up just to see if you and the baby are okay."

"But what about sam?"asked she with tears in her eyes;"You didn't see the look in his eyes when he drove off and it's dangerous for him to drive in that state and with his arm."

"I've got an idea."answered lisa quickly;"What about if Jamie stays here for a while to wait for sam and I will drive you to the hospital?"

"That's a good idea."said her husband;"If sam shows up I will take him straight to the hospital."

"I just hope that he didn't have an accident or something because he was really upset when he drove off."began Amanda softly as lisa helped her out to the car;"I will never forgive myself if anything were to happen to him."

"I'm sure that sam is fine."started her sister-in-law slowly and helped Amanda into her car;"Let's just focus on you and the baby right now."

At the station adam was still there when shane came back;"Hey,how did it go,shane,where's ryan?"

"He's finishing up some paperwork downstairs."said his friend and was surprised to still see adam there;"Why haven't you gone home yet?"

"I had a few things to finish up here,shane."answered adam;"Besides,what's there for me at home?"

"What's up with you lately?"asked he worried;"You've been acting really strange lately."

"There's nothing."said his friend irritated;"So,how did it go at the pawnshop?"

"Not bad."started shane slowly;"We got the name of the man,adam,so we're going to pick him up in the morning as soon as we get the warrant."

"Can I come too when you guys bring him in?"asked he when he saw the look on shane's face;"Come on,shane,I want to be there too!"

"Why?"answered his friend suspicious;"Why do you want to be there when we pick up our suspect?"

"Because…"began adam hesitating;"Because I want to look him in the face and see if he's the guy who pulled the trigger at tops,shane

"That is why I don't want you to come with us,adam!"said he;"Just stay here tomorrow or take a day off,but let us handle this!"

Emily was standing out on the porch when ben came outside and pulled her into his arms;"Your parents are great,ben,they were so nice and understanding when we told them about me being pregnant."

"I told you that they wouldn't be mad or anything."smiled he and kissed her;"I love you and that isn't going to change now that you're pregnant."

"I wasn't sure."started his girlfriend softly;"I thought that you would get angry at me for getting pregnant."

"Why would I get angry at you for something that I'm just as responsible for?"asked ben surprised;"We made this baby together."

"I guess you're right."answered Emily with a sad smile;"I'd just wish that I could get my family to understand that we belong together and I'm sure that they will freak out even more once they find out that I'm pregnant,ben."

"Let them freak out all they want,em,because they can't break us up again!"promised he;"There is nothing that they can do anymore,because you're here with me now and I'm not letting anybody get in our way again!"

The next morning Jamie walked into his sister's hospitalroom just as she was waking up;"Goodmorning,Amanda,how did you sleep?"

"Not really well,Jamie,I was worried about sam,but the pain in my stomach is a lot less."answered she;"Has there been any word from him yet?"

"Yes,I know where he is."started her brother slowly;"He's right here in the hospital too."

"What happened?"asked Amanda shocked;"Is he okay,jamie?"

"Don't worry,Amanda,he's gonna be just fine."promised he;"Sam ran his car into a tree lastnight,but he was very lucky and didn't have more then a concusion,besides the gunshot wound that he already had in his arm."

"I knew that this would happen when he drove off yesterday."said his sister with tears in her eyes;"This is all my fault."

"None of this is your fault."began Jamie softly;"It was sam's own choice to get into that car in the state that he was in and with his wounded arm."

"But if I hadn't made that remark about his brother he wouldn't have gone away like that,Jamie,it really hurt him."

"Hasn't he hurt you too?"asked he irritated;"If he hadn't cheated on you in the first place then none of this would have happened!"

"I was so angry at him yesterday,but right now it all seems so stupid and pointless."answered Amanda tired;"I've almost lost sam twice in one week,so I want to do my best to get past what he did to me!"

"Just focus on getting through this pregnancy right now,Amanda,you heard what sharlene told you lastnight!"warned her brother her;"You have to stay as calm as possible!"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

At the hospital adam was on his way to see m.j. again when he ran into Kathleen and cass;"Goodmorning,guys."

"What are you doing here?"asked Kathleen annoyed;"Do you want aaron to find out right now?"

"Ofcourse not."answered her friend;"But I have to see her."

"Aaron is already suspicious and thinks that it's strange that you were here yesterdaymorning,adam!"warned cass him;"I know that it's hard to stay away from m.j. right now,but unless you want aaron to find out before m.j.'s had a chance to tell him yourself you will have to stay away from her!"

"But what am I suppose to do then?"asked he tired;"I have already lost too much time with m.j. and I can't stand being apart from her anymore."

"Aaron can't find out yet,because m.j. doesn't need any more problems right now!"said his friend;"He's in her room right now and if he were to see you here that would make him more suspicious!"

"I don't want to cause anymore problems for your sister,kathleen,but who knows when she's going to tell him and I don't want to stay away from her for that long!"started adam slowly;"I could be really carefull when I go overthere to see her.'

"That wouldn't work because there's always a chance that aaron could show up too."answered she;"Just stay away from her for a while and you've been able to stay away from her for two years,so a little while longer won't kill you,adam,you can always call her if you want to."

"That isn't the same!"said her friend angry and walked away again;"That isn't the same as seeing her."

"Why don't he just listen,cass?"asked Kathleen irritated as she turned towards her husband;"He's only going to make things worse."

"Did we ever listen to others?"laughed he;"He's in love,Kathleen,he's going crazy without your sister."

"Then he should have thought about that before he let her go two years ago!"answered his wife;"If he'd stopped her from leaving back then,cass,then this wouldn't have happened!"

"You can't blame adam for that,because he had every right to be angry with her back then and he couldn't have known what would happen,Kathleen."

"What did happen between them to get him so angry,cass?"asked she suddenly;"I've asked mama and pops about that so many times,but all they kept saying was that m.j. had kept something from adam and wouldn't tell me what."

"Maybe you should ask your sister about that when this is all over."answered cass;"That is up to her to tell you."

Inside of m.j.'s room aaron was sitting next to her bed;"Are you feeling a bit better?"

"A bit."answered she;"Is justin okay?"

"He's fine and your parents are looking after him right now."started aaron slowly;"I was really worried when Kathleen called me up to tell me about what happened at tops."

"I know,aaron."said m.j. softly and turned her head away a bit when aaron tried to kiss her on her mouth,so he kissed her on her cheeck;"I'm tired."

"Do you want me to go away?"asked he surprised about the sudden distance between them;"I can come back later."

"No,you don't have to go yet."answered m.j. as she felt a bit guilty when she saw the confused look in his eyes;"I'm just a bit tired."

"Well,it must be hard for you to be in the hospital again,m.j."said aaron;"Why didn't you tell me that you were still taking those painkillers?"

"Please,aaron,don't start!"began she annoyed;"I know that I was stupid to keep taking so many painkillers instead of seeing a doctor,so you don't have to keep reminding me."

"I'm sorry."answered he;"I didn't mean to upset you or make you feel bad or anything."

"No,I'm the one who should be sorry."said m.j. softly and grabbed his hand when he wanted to get up;"It's just that being in a hospital again is driving me crazy."

"It's okay,honey,I know how hard it is for you."smiled aaron as he kissed m.j. on her forhead and walked towards the door;"I'm going to go now,so that you can get some rest."

At the hudson's Nicole walked into the livingroom,while she was looking for her sister,when she ran into Michael;"Hey,where's your wife?"

"She left at the crack of dawn with marlee."answered he slowly and saw the worried look on nicole's face;"She didn't take any guns with her,Nicole,I checked her bag."

"That isn't funny!"said his sister-in-law irritated;"What if the gun had gone off?"

"I've had a good talk with her lastnight and I don't think she will do something like that again."started Michael hesitating;"Do you really believe that donna would have been able to pull the trigger,Nicole?"

"I don't know,Michael,she might have."answered she;"Regioneld has put her through a lot and she's really terrified that he's going to hurt her or somebody else again."

"But to shoot her own father?"asked her brother-in-law surprised;"I don't know if she'd been able to go that far."

"Well,michael,I don't want to find out either!"said Nicole softly;"Do you?"

"Ofcourse not."answered he;"I'm sure that she feels a whole lot better after our talk lastnight."

"Let's hope so,because who knows what might happen if donna still feels that regioneld is a threat to her and the rest of our family."warned his sister-in-law him;"Just make sure that she doesn't take anymore guns to tops."

Around noon that day mary was cleaning up the kitchen when Cheryl walked in;"Hi,mama."

"Hi,honey."said she looking up;"How was chad doing?"

"Better."smiled Cheryl as she sat down;"He might be able to leave the hospital real soon."

"Who might leave the hospital soon?"asked her father as he came into the kitchen;"M.j.?"

"No,vince,ofcourse not."answered mary;"Cheryl was just telling me that chad is feeling a lot better and that he might be able to go home soon."

"I know that you don't like him,paps,but I love him!"started their daughter before vince had a chance to say anything;"I won't stop seeing him no matter what you or anybody else thinks!"

"Did I tell you to stop seeing him or that I don't like him?"said he surprised;"After what he did at tops I would even let him marry you,honey."

"I…."answered Cheryl confused;"I thought that you didn't want me to be with him as soon as you'd found out about us."

"I have no problems with chad,sweety,not after he saved your life!"smiled her father;"If it hadn't been for chad then we wouldn't have you anymore,so that makes him okay in my book."

"What your father is trying to say is that we don't mind you seeing chad."laughed mary when she saw the stuned look on cheryl's face;"It's okay,Cheryl."

At the policestation shane was walking towards the jailcells with ryan to question their suspect that they had picked up that morning when they heard a lot of noise coming from the cells,so they rushed downthere and saw adam fighting with their suspect;"Adam!"

"That's enough!"said ryan as they ran into the cell and pulled adam away from the man,together with shane;"Are you insane or something,adam?"

"He came in here and attacked me for no reason!"started the man angry;"I want him arrest for assault!"

"Sit down and shut up!"answered shane irritated to the man and pushed adam out of the cell;"What the hell do you think that you were doing,adam?"

"I wanted him to tell me who else was involved in this!"said he while shane pulled him towards their office;"He has to talk!"

"Do you have any idea how stupid this was?"asked ryan angry;"You can't go attacking people like that!"

"Somebody had to do something!"answered adam;"We still have to catch those other two guys!"

"We don't even know if mr. handle is our guy,adam,at this point he is only a suspect."said his friend;"Take a week or so off!"

"No way!"started he angry;"You can't tell me what to do,shane,you're not my superior!"

"What do you think that the captain would do if he found out about this?"asked shane slowly;"Either you take a week off or I will tell the captain about what you did!"

"That is blackmail!"answered his friend;"You can't do that,shane!"

"I'm doing this for your own good!"said he;"It's your choice!"

"Fine!"yelled adam furious and walked away;"Go to hell!"

"Do you think that he will listen,shane?"asked ryan worried after adam had left;"Do you think he will stay away from here?"

"Ofcourse he will,ryan,because he knows what the captain would do if he found out."said his friend slowly;"This is only for his own good."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Amanda was laying in her hospitalbed,getting pretty bored with just laying there and doing nothing,when lisa came in with her daughter;"Hi,you two."

"Hi,sweety."said she;"How are you feeling?"

"The pain is almost gone."answered her sister-in-law slowly;"Sharlene said that I was having contractions and they gave me something to stop them,because it's too early."

"That doesn't sound good."started lisa worried;"Does that mean that you will have to stay in the hospital untill the baby is born?"

"Sharlene said that she doesn't know for how long I will have to stay here,lisa,but as long as I keep having contractions I will have to stay here."

"Did Jamie tell you about sam?"asked she hesitating;"I saw him just now."

"Jamie told me this morning."said Amanda softly;"How was he doing when you saw him?"

"Sam was still unconscious,but Jamie said that he was pretty lucky and that he's gonna be just fine."began her sister-in-law slowly;"Are you still mad at him,amanda?"

"A part of me is,but I'm also glad that he's okay."answered she;"I told him that I was through with him and that could go to hell,lisa,so if he died…."

"None of this is your fault,Amanda,you were angry at him with good reason and you couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"I don't want to lose him."smiled she sadly;"I'm so damn angry at him for cheating on me,lisa,but after lastnight I realize that I need him and that I wouldn't be able to live without him."

"You won't have to!"answered lisa;"As soon as you both get home you can work things out together again."

That afternoon cass was coming out of felica's office at tops when he saw adam sitting at the bar,drinking,and sat down next to him;"Shouldn't you be at the station?"

"No."answered adam without looking up and turned towards the bartender;"Another beer please."

"Isn't it a bit early to get drunk,adam?"asked his friend worried;"Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I'm not doing anything!"said he irritated;"I'm just having a little party with myself because i just got the whole week off."

"Are you sure that you aren't doing this because you can't see m.j. untill she tells aaron about you two,adam?"

"I can see m.j. whenever I want and nobody can stop me,cass!"

"If aaron finds out before m.j. has had a chance to tell him it might cause a lot of trouble and she doesn't need that right now!"started cass slowly;"Just try to have a little patience."

"That's easy for you to say!"said his friend angry;"Kathleen isn't the one laying there and you're not the one that has to stay away from the woman that you love,cass!"

"You two have been apart for more then two years,adam,so is it so hard to wait a little while longer?"asked he;"I'm sure that m.j. will tell him as soon as she's out of the hospital."

"It is because we've been apart for so long that I don't want to wait anymore to be with her!"answered adam as he calmed down a bit;"I know that I was stupid enough to let her get away from me,cass,but I'm not going to let that happen again!"

"Please just try to stay away from her!"warned cass him again;"If you don't then you will only end up hurting m.j. and you don't want that,do you?"

At the Hudson's donna was playing with kristy in the livingroom when Nicole walked in;"Hello,Nicole,are you here to check up on me or did Michael ask you to talk to me?"

"No,not at all."answered she;"Do I need an excuse to come here?"

"Ofcourse not."said donna softly as she calmed down;"I'm sorry,Nicole,I guess that this whole situation is really getting to me."

"Why don't you and Michael go away for a long vacation together with kristy?"asked her sister;"It might do you some good,donna,I'm sure that Michael wouldn't mind a long vacation either."

"I don't know."began she slowly;"I don't know if this is the right time to take a vacation."

"Come on,donna,I think this is the perfect time to go away on a vacation."answered Nicole;"There's nothing here to stop you from going."

"But what about the twins?"asked her sister still not convinced;"Don't you think that they would mind we went suddenly went away with kristy for a long vacation,Nicole."

"Ofcourse they wouldn't mind."laughed she;"Vicky has got jake and marlee is seeing somebody now too,so neither of them would mind you guys took kristy on a long vacation."

Sam was slowly waking up in his hospitalbed and was looking confused around him when Jamie walked in;"What am I doing here,Jamie,what happened?"

"You ran your car into a tree."said his brother-in-law;"How are you feeling,sam?"

"Like my head is ready to explode."answered he softly as he started to remember what had happened;"I remember driving along the road and my arm was hurting really bad."

"How could you have been so stupid as to go driving with that arm and also in that state of mind?"asked Jamie angry;"Did you want to kill yourself or something?"

"I don't know what I wanted at that point anymore,Jamie,I wasn't really thinking very clearly when I drove off."started his brother-in-law tired;"I'd just lost my brother and because of my own stupid fault I had just lost my wife too!"

"Well,I think that I wouldn't worry too much about your wife if I were you."answered he;"If she was really through with you then she wouldn't have had me looking all over town after you drove off like a mad-man yesterday."

"Was she really worried about me?"asked sam surprised;"I thought that I'd messed things up between us forgood yesterday."

"Amanda was worried sick that you might have done something stupid lastnight because of the state that you were in when you drove off."said his brother-in-law slowly;"There is something that you have to know too,sam."

"Please don't tell me that because of me something happened to Amanda or to our baby?"begged he scared when he saw the serious look in jamie's eyes;"Please tell me that they are both fine!"

"At this moment they are both fine,sam,but Amanda was hospitalized lastnight after she starting having contractions."started Jamie;"She's doing a lot better today and the contractions seem to be fading away slowly,but she's still not out of the woods yet."

"I want to see her!"said his brother-in-law shocked and wanted to get out of bed,both the pain as well as Jamie stopped him;"I have to see my wife,jamie!"

"You're not going anywhere for now!"answered he as he gently pushed sam back into bed;"You've got a concusion,sam!"

"But I have to see for myself if Amanda is okay."started sam softly;"I have to tell her how sorry I am about all of this,Jamie!"

"I'm sure that she knows that and if she doesn't then I will tell her what you've just told me."said his brother-in-law and walked out of the room;"Just try to get some rest for now!"

At the policestation the captain was working in his office when shane walked in with ryan;"We've got them,captain."

"Who do you have,Cassidy?"asked samuals looking up;"Well?"

"The names of the robbers."answered he;"Our suspect of this morning,mr. handle,finally gave us a full confession and the names of the other two men that were involved in these robberies."

"It seems that we were dealing with some hard-time criminals,captain,the brothers from chicago."started ryan slowly;"The man that adam shot was parker and he's the driven force behind all of this."

"Then what are you guys waiting for?"asked their captain;"I will get you a warrant and you can pick them up."

"Yes,captain."answered shane as they walked away;"I'm glad that this is almost over and that we've finally got them."

"So am i."said his friend and opened up the door to their own office;"Have you called adam to tell him about this break in the case,shane?"

"Ofcourse not."started he slowly;"It's better for him if he doesn't know about this untill it's over and done with,ryan,before he goes off the deep end."

It was almost eight that night when Michael finally came home;"Hello,honey,I'm sorry that I'm so late,but I had an important meeting."

"That's okay."said donna hesitating;"How would you feel about going away for a while?"

"Where to?"asked her husband surprised;"You do mean with you,donna,don't you?"

"Ofcourse with me and also with kristy."laughed she;"Nicole said that it might a good idea for us to go on a long vacation."

"That sounds like a great idea."smiled Michael as he pulled donna into his arms;"It might just be thing that we need right now."

"Do you think that marlee and Victoria would mind?"asked his wife hesitating;"I don't want to go if they have a problem with it or if they need us here."

"They're both grown women,donna,so I'm sure that they will be fine with it."laughed he and kissed her;"Vicky is really happy with jake now and I think that marlee has found somebody too,because she's been really happy lately and I know that she's been out on a few dates now."

"I guess that you're right,Michael,I guess that life would still go on even if we were gone."

"Where do you want to go?"said her husband;"And for how long?"

"I don't know yet."answered donna;"I haven't really thought about that yet."

"Then maybe you should start thinking about that,blackie."smiled Michael as he kissed her again;'Because if you're serious about this long vacation then we have to decide where we're gonna go and when."

At the hospital chad was watching tv when Cheryl came in and kissed him;"Hey,baby."

"You're in a good mood."said chad as he kissed her back;"How come?"

"Because life is great."smiled his girlfriend and sat down next to him on the bed;"Even paps doesn't have a problem with me seeing you,chad."

"Then getting shot turned out to be a good thing."answered he teasing;"Thanks to that I can now see you without having to hide it."

"That isn't funny,chad!"said Cheryl a bit angry;"You could have died!"

"You're right,Cheryl,that wasn't funny and I'm sorry."answered her boyfriend;"That was a bad joke."

"Do you have any idea how worried I was after you'd been shot and I saw all that blood?"asked she softly;"I thought that you were going to die!"

"I know."said chad as he kissed her again gently;"But I didn't die,Cheryl,so this is all behind us now."

"If you had died then I wouldn't have known what I would have done,because I really love you and I never want to be without you again,chad!"started his girlfriend hesitating;"I'm sorry that I made you keep our relationship a secret for so long."

"Don't blame yourself,honey,I went along with that and we had good reasons for that."answered he;"Everything's fine now and we'll be together forever."

In m.j.'s hospitalroom adam was sitting next to her bed,holding her hand,when she woke up again;"Hey,you."

"Adam….?"asked she surprised when she saw what time it was;"What are you doing here this late?"

"I had to see you."answered her boyfriend hesitating;"I miss you."

"Have you been drinking?"said m.j. worried when she noticed the sent of beer around him and saw the mood he was in;"Are you okay,adam?"

"I'm not the one laying in the hospital!"began he irritated;"I'm fine!"

"No,you're not,adam,you've been drinking and you don't look so good."said his girlfriend still worried;"Please tell me what's wrong."

"I shouldn't have come."answered adam as he got up;"You don't need this right now,m.j."

"Don't go!" begged she softly and grabbed his hand;"I want to know what is going on with you!"

"There's nothing going on with me."said adam and pulled himself together again when he saw the look in her eyes while he kissed her gently;"I'm just feeling sorry for myself because you're in the hospital and I'm really going crazy without you."

"I miss you too,adam,but as soon as I can go home I can tell aaron about us and then we can be together again."

"I know that."started he with a faint smile;"Don't worry,honey,I will be fine in the morning,so I'm going to go home to get some sleep and you should do the same thing."

"Go home?"asked m.j. teasing;"If only I could."

"You know what I mean,silly."smiled adam as he kissed her goodbye before he walked out of her room again;"Sweet dreams."


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The next day Nicole was just drinking some coffee at shane's place,after spending the night there,when shane came downstairs;"Goodmorning,I didn't think that you'd wake up before noon."

"If I could have stayed in bed untill noon I would have,Nicole,but I have to be at the station in an hour."said shane;"So I have to hurry up."

"On a Saturday?"asked she surprised;"You stayed at the policestation untill really late lastnight and now you have to be there this early on a Saturday,shane,why?"

"Because we're about to close the robbery-case."answered her boyfriend as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her;"I know that I've been really busy lately,but this is almost over now and I'm going to make it up to you."

"You don't have to,shane,because I knew what I was getting myself into when we started dating."smiled Nicole and kissed him back;"I know that you have been really busy with work,so it's okay."

"But I want to make it up to you."started he slowly;"Tonight we're going out to dinner together,Nicole,just the two of us."

"That sounds pretty special."said his girlfriend curious;"Is there a special reason for this dinner,shane?"

"Just to show you how much I love you."smiled shane and kissed her again;"Can't I just show my girlfriend a good time?"

Vince was walking down the stairs at his house when mary came out of the kitchen;"What do you think that you're doing?"

"What does it look like?"asked he and walked into the kitchen;"I'm going to have breakfast."

"I can bring you that in bed!"said mary;"You're not suppose to be walking around so much."

"I'm fine and I don't see why I have to stay in bed or on the couch all day long."answered vince irritated as he sat down;"I'm not some invalid,mary!"

"Ofcourse you're not."started she slowly when she realized what was behind his attitude;"But you did have a serious heartattack and if you don't want to get another one you will have to take it easy."

"I'm staying home from work and I'm not doing anything else around the house,so I'm taking it as easy as possible for me!"

"Maybe you're right,vince,maybe I'm just overreacting about all of this and being too worried about you getting another heartattack."said mary softly;"But I almost lost you and I don't want that to happen again,vince !"

"I'm sorry,honey,I guess that I didn't realize how this has effected you too and what this has done to you."started he and pulled her into his arms while he kissed her;"I promise that I will try my best to be more understanding towards you in the future,mary."

"Thank you."laughed she as she kissed him back;"And I will try to be a little less worried about you getting another heartattack."

At the hospital adam was on his way to see m.j. again when he ran into aaron;"Goodmorning,aaron."

"What are you doing here?"asked he surprised;"Are you on your way to see m.j. again?"

"I don't think that it's any of your business what I'm doing here."said adam annoyed;"I don't have to explain myself to you!"

"If you are here to see m.j. again that is my business,adam!"started aaron as he tried to stay calm;"She's my girlfriend and I don't want to see her getting hurt again!"

"Why would I want to hurt her?"asked he;"I can see her as much as I want to because that isn't your call!"

"It sure as hell is and you can't see her as much as you want to,adam,I don't want to see you near my girlfriend again!"

"You can't tell me that I can't see m.j. anymore,aaron!"said adam stuned;"I've got just as much right to see her as you do!"

"How do you figure that out?"asked he irritated;"She's with me now because you dumped her over two years ago,adam!"

"I…."started he furious and was about to tell aaron the truth when he realized how much that would hurt m.j.'s feelings,so he changed his mind and turned around;"Never mind,aaron,it doesn't matter."

Still confused about his run in with adam aaron went up to m.j.'s room where she'd just woken up;"Hey."

"Goodmorning."said m.j. and pulled back a bit again as he tried to kiss her;"You're here early."

"Is everything okay?"asked aaron surprised that she'd pulled away from him yet again and had been doing so since he had returned from new York;"Are you okay,m.j.?"

"I'm just a bit tired,aaron,that's all."answered she lying;"I think that I'm going to go back to sleep for a while."

"Maybe you should."said aaron as he turned around and began to walk out of the room,leaving her confused about the sudden change in his mood;"Sleep tight."

"Aaron…"began m.j. hesitating just before he went out of her room;"I…"

"What is it?"asked he surprised and turned back towards her;"Did you want to say something?"

"No,it can wait."said she with a faint smile;"I will see you later."

"Sure."answered aaron softly as he went out into the hallway;"Bye."

Ryan walked into the policestation when he ran into shane;"Has there been any news yet?"

"Yes,we've got two confessions and they also found the bullet that came from adam's gun."answered he;"I just came from the captain and he said that the second robber that we picked up lastnight,trevor ,is about to crack too."

"What about the brains behind it all,parker ?"asked ryan;"Did he pull through the night?"

"No,he was already in pretty bad shape when we got to his house in Chicago yesterday and he died late lastnight."started his friend slowly;"The doctor said that since he'd been walking around with that gunshotwound and it had already gotten seriously infected that there wasn't anything that he could do and that he'd been lucky to last for that long,but before parker died he told the cop that was there that he was behind it all,ryan."

"So,this is almost over then."said he;"So,what about the bullet from adam's gun?"

"The doctor removed the bullet as soon as we got him to the hospital,so now we have proof that puts parker there at the crimescene at the time of the robbery."answered shane;"So,that with two confession and also the fact that trevor is about to tell us everything too makes this is done deal."

Just after lunchtime Amanda was talking to sharlene when her brother walked in;"Hi,Jamie."

"Hi,Amanda."said he and turned towards his aunt;"Hello,sharlene."

"Hello,Jamie."answered sharlene as she walked towards the door;"I promised john that I'd meet him for lunch,so I have to go."

"Bye."started her niece hesitating while she turned towards her brother;"Have you seen sam today?"

"No,I saw him yesterday,amanda,just like I told you."said Jamie slowly;"What did sharlene say about you and the baby?"

"My contractions have stopped and she thinks that I can go home in a day or two if this keeps up,jamie,but I will have to rest and take some kind of medication to keep me from getting contractions again."answered his sister;"How is sam doing?"

"How do you think he's doing?"asked he hesitating;"He's in pain and thinks he's messed everything up in his life."

"But that's not true."said Amanda worried;"Do you think that he wanted to kill himself by crashing into that tree?"

"I really don't have an answer for that,Amanda,I don't even think that sam knows if he wanted to kill himself or not,because he doesn't even really remember crashing into that tree and he said that he wasn't thinking clearly when he left the house in that state."began her brother softly;"He did seem happy when I told him that you were really worried about him."

"What else did sam say?"asked she curious;"Did you tell him that I was in the hospital?"

"Ofcourse I did and he was really worried because he thinks that this is all his fault."answered Jamie;"Sam wanted to come down here to see you right away,but I stopped him because he shouldn't be out of bed yet."

"I know that he loves me,Jamie,but how could he have done that to me?"said his sister in tears;"How could he have cheated on me like that?"

"That is something that I can't answer and you will have to sort that out with your husband,because he's the only one who can answer that."started he hesitating;"But I do know that sam really does love you and that even the best of us make mistakes."

At the hudson's donna was having lunch with Michael when shane walked in;"Hi,shane,what brings you downhere and where's Nicole?"

"She's at my place,so I can't stay too long."started he slowly;"I need your help tonight."

"With what?"asked Michael surprised;"Do you want us to keep Nicole here all night so that you can catch up on some sleep or something?"

"Michael!"warned his wife him irritated and turned towards shane;"What can we do for you?"

"I need a few things from Nicole and she can't know about it."answered shane;"We're having a romantic dinner at tops and afterwards I want to spend the night there with her in one of the honeymoonsuites,so I will need a few things for her,donna."

"A romantic dinner for two and a night at the honeymoonsuite?"asked she slowly as she began to realize what shane had in mind that night;"Are you planning on asking her to marry you?"

"I sure am."smiled the young cop;"I think that this is the perfect time for us to get married,don't you?"

"Ofcourse."answered donna relieved;"I'm glad that she finally decided to tell you and that you have decided to ask her to marry you,because I'm sure that she will feel a lot more certain about your feelings for her and the baby with a ring on her finger."

"Baby?"asked shane and Michael both shocked at the same time;"Nicole's pregnant?"

"She told you didn't she,shane,why else would you ask her to marry you all of a sudden?"

"Probaly because I love her and I want to be with her for the rest of my life,donna,I've been wanting to ask her for a few weeks now."started he in shock and sat down;"I didn't know that she was pregnant!"

"Oh,my god,I'm really sorry,shane,I thought that she had told you."answered his girlfriend's sister softly;"Please don't tell Nicole that I told you."

"But why didn't she tell me herself?""asked shane;"How long has she known,donna?"

"Since a while,shane."said she hesitating;"Nicole is afraid that you don't want to have this baby,because you seem to have told her that you want to be alone with her for a while first before you two would start a family."

"I did say that,but that doesn't mean that I don't want a baby right now if there was one on the way."answered the young cop irritated;"I love Nicole and I will also love this baby!"

"What are you going to do now?"asked Michael;"Are you still going to ask Nicole to marry you tonight,shane?"

"Ofcourse I am!"said he;"Tonight I'm going to ask her to become my wife."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Marlee was riding her horse along the grounds while her twinsister was riding there next to her;"Did Michael and donna tell you about their plan to go away for a while?"

"Yes,they did."said Vicky;"I think it's a great idea."

"But wouldn't it seem like they're running away,Vicky?"asked her sister;"Away from regioneld?"

"No,ofcourse not."laughed she;"Come on,everybody with two eyes can see that donna is on the edge of a breakdown and could use some time away,so nobody's gonna think it's strange that Michael is taking her and kristy away on a long vacation."

"I guess not."said marlee;"I saw ryan again lastnight."

"How was it?"asked her twinsister teasing;"Did you two go below the waist yet,marlee?"

"No,we didn't!"answered she annoyed;"I hardly know him."

"Relax."smiled Vicky;"I was just teasing you,but you must like him a lot if I can get under your skin this fast."

"I don't know,Vicky,I think that I'm falling for him,but I don't know if I should."

"Why not?"started her twinsister surprised;"If he's a nice guy then why shouldn't you let yourself fall in love with him?"

"I just don't want to get hurt again."began marlee softly;"What if he hurts me?"

"That is a risk that you will have to take,marlee,you can't keep hiding your feelings locked up inside just because you're scared of getting hurt again!"answered Vicky with a faint smile;"Just open up your heart to him if you really like him."

Later that day m.j. was about to fall asleep again in her hospitalroom when aaron walked in and woke her up;"Hi,aaron,where were you all day?"

"I was driving around."said he hesitating;"I needed some time to think."

"What about?"asked m.j. worried when she saw the strange look in his eyes;"Is everything okay?"

"Adam cory has been showing up a lot here since you're in the hospital,hasn't he?"started aaron slowly;"He seems really worried about you,m.j."

"Why are you telling me this?"answered she tired;"Why are we talking about this?"

"Because I want to know why!"said aaron suddenly angry;"I need to know why!"

"What do you want to know?"asked m.j. softly;"Why he's at the hospital so much,aaron,is that it?"

"He's more then just a friend,isn't he?"answered he;"You've sorted things out with him,haven't you?"

"Please don't do this right now,aaron!"begged m.j. with tears in her eyes;"Not now!"

"Tell me the damn truth,m.j!"yelled aaron almost;"Did you sleep with him?"

"Yes!"said she and began to cry;"I'm sorry,aaron,I didn't mean for it to happen,but I was going to tell you as soon as I got out of the hospital!"

"Are you going back to him?"asked aaron;"Or was this just a one night stand or something?"

"Stop it!"answered m.j. as she grabbed his hand;"Why are you doing this to yourself right now?"

"You're going back to him,aren't you?"yelled he furious as he pulled away from her and walked out of the room;"What a fool I have been!"

"Aaron!"called m.j. on after him while she,with a lot of effort and pain,got out of bed and into the hallway where it seemed like everything around her starting spinning infront of her eyes;"Come back!"

"What are you doing out of bed?"asked Jamie worried as well as shocked when he walked past and saw m.j. leaning up against the wall next to her room,half on the ground;"You shouldn't be out of bed!"

"I…."started she softly when she suddenly passed out and if Jamie hadn't caught her in time m.j. would have fallen down on to the ground.

At the Hudson's Michael was in his study when marlee came in;"Hey,honey,where's your sister?"

"She's upstairs with kristy."said his daughter;"Where's donna?"

"I don't know,marlee."answered Michael;"She said that she had to get a few things from the store and left in a hurry not long after she got a call."

"Is she excited to go away for a while?"asked she;"Are you?"

"We both are."laughed her father;"Even kristy seems excited to go away."

"Let's hope that regioneld is gone when you guys get back again."started marlee hesitating;"It's a good idea that you're taking donna away from all this before she does something that she might regret,Michael."

"So you're worried too that donna might do something stupid."said he;"I don't know,marlee,I have never seen her like this before and I'm glad that we'll be going away for a while."

"Where are you guys going to go?"asked his daughter;"And for how long?"

"We haven't really decided yet,marlee,but I was thinking about a trip to france or something."answered Michael;"I told donna that I want to leave in less the a week or so."

"France sounds great."smiled she;"I wish that I could come with you guys."

"Then why don't you?"asked her father;"You and vicky are both more the welcome to come along with us on this vacation."

"I know that,but I'm sure that Vicky doesn't want to leave jake for that long and I don't want to stay away from here for such a long time either."said marlee;"I've met a really nice guy,Michael."

"I knew that there was something."laughed he;"You've been in a really good mood lately."

"As if my mood depends on me seeing somebody or not."smiled his daughter;"I can be just as happy with me seeing somebody!"

"Ofcourse,honey,that wasn't what I meant."answered Michael;"I just meant that you look like you're falling in love and that you're happy,marlee.'

Adam was sitting at the counter at mary's place,while he was talking to Kathleen,cass and jake;"So,now I've got the whole week off."

"Why do you always do stupid things?"asked Kathleen surprised after adam had just told them about what he'd done at the policestation;"What are you going to do now,adam?"

"Nothing."answered he;"I don't have much of a choice."

"You shouldn't go attacking people,adam,you could have lost your badge or something!"warned cass him when he saw aaron coming in;"Hi,aaron,why aren't you at the hospital?"

"You slept with my girlfriend!"yelled aaron angry as he walked straight up to adam,while he ignored the rest,and before anybody knew what was happening he knocked him off his chair;"I should kill you!"

"Hey,that's enough!"said jake as he,together with cass,grabbed aaron before he had a chance to attack adam,who was on the ground,again;"There will be no fighting in here!"

"Are you nuts?"asked adam stuned and got up;"What is your damn problem,aaron?"

"M.j. doesn't wanna be with me anymore thanks to you!"answered he and tried to attack adam again;"Everything was fine untill you came back into the picture!"

"Let's go outside to cool off!"said jake while he pulled aaron with him outside,with cass;"Come on,aaron,this isn't helping anybody!"

"What did you do?"asked his cousin irritated after the rest had gone outside;"I warned you that this was gonna happen,adam,didn't i?"

"I didn't do anything!"answered he angry when the phone rang;"Shouldn't you answer that?"

"We aren't finished with this conversation yet!"warned his friend him as she grabbed the phone;"Hello?"

"How is your face?"asked jake when he came back inside and looked at the bruise above adam's left-eye;"He sure does know how to hit somebody."

"Very funny!"said adam irritated when he saw Kathleen hanging up the phone with a shocked look on her face;"What's wrong,Kathleen?"

"That was Jamie at the hospital."started she slowly;"It seems that aaron went by m.j.'s room first before he came downhere."

"Is she okay?"asked he worried;"Did he hurt her in any way?"

"Jamie nearly bumped into aaron in the hallway,not far from m.j.'s room as he was on his way out,where he seemed really angry and when Jamie walked past m.j.'s room he found her just outside the door."answered Kathleen;"She probably wanted to go after aaron,but when Jamie got to her he was just in time to catch her before she passed out in the hallway."

"Damn it!"said adam angry and ran out of there before they could stop him;"I have to see her!"


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Outside of mary's place cass was standing in the parkinglot,trying to calm aaron down;"I know that you're hurt by all of this,but beating up adam isn't the answer and it's not gonna change anything."

"I know and I shouldn't have done it,cass,but I got so angry when I found out that she'd slept with him."answered aaron;"I can't understand how she could do that after everything that he has put her through."

"You can't really blame adam for everything that happened two years ago."started he slowly;"I don't know how much m.j. has told you,but not everything was his fault."

"I know what happened back then,cass,I know the whole story."said aaron;"I know why adam broke it off with her and why she left baycity."

"Then you must be able to understand why he broke up with her,aaron,it's pretty shocking to find out that the woman that you're about to marry had sexy with men for money at one time and to see a tape of her going at it on your weddingday?"

"I wouldn't have let her go,cass,no matter how angry I might have been!"

"You're angry at her now!"answered cass;"Don't tell me that you're not angry at m.j. too for sleeping with adam and wanting to go back to him again."

"Ofcourse I'm angry,but if she came up to me to tell me that she made a mistake and that she doesn't wanna leave me then I would take her back without even thinking about it,cass,because I love her!"

"Adam loves m.j. too and he has never stopped loving her,aaron,not even after he found out the truth and convinced himself that he didn't love her anymore."said he;"You said yourself that m.j. has always been honest with you about her feelings for adam,so can you honestly say that you're surprised that she wants to go back to him now that she knows that he still feels the same way too?"

"No,I guess not."answered aaron tired;"Maybe you're right,cass,maybe it's for the best if this is what she really wants."

That night Nicole was having dinner with shane at tops,out on the balcony;"You've really gone through a lot of trouble,shane."

"Ofcourse."smiled he;"Nothing's too good for my baby."

"I didn't forget some special day,did i?"asked Nicole confused;"This seems so strange for just a night out together."

"No,you didn't forget anything."laughed her boyfriend as he kissed her;"But there is a special reason for this romantic dinner,Nicole."

"I knew it!"said she;"What is it?"

"I love you,Nicole love."started shane slowly as he got down on one knew infront of her,while he took a little black box out of his pocket and opened it as he took her hand into his;"Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Your wife?"asked his girlfriend stuned;"Why now,shane?"

"That wasn't the answer that I was hoping to hear."smiled he teasing;"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,baby,that's why."

"I…."began Nicole hesitating and it suddenly hit her that he must have found out about the baby;"You know about me being pregnant,don't you?"

"Yes,but that has got nothing to do with this,Nicole."answered her boyfriend confused;"I want you to marry me because I love you and not because you're pregnant!"

"Did donna tell you?"asked she angry and got up;"She told you,didn't she?"

"It doesn't matter who told me,Nicole,this has got nothing to do with me wanting to marry you!"said shane and grabbed her arm when she wanted to leave;"What are you doing?"

"I can't let you do this just because you think it's the right thing to do!"answered his girlfriend in tears;"I'm sorry,but the answer is no!"

"Nicole!"began he confused and wanted to pull her into his arms,but she pushed him away and ran off;"It isn't like that at all!"

At the beach marlee was walking in the sand with ryan;"The movie was great."

"So are you."smiled ryan as he suddenly pulled her into his arms;"You look beautyfull tonight."

"Thanks."answered his date softly and wasn't sure about what to do at that point;"Ryan,i…."

"Sssst!"said he and gently kissed her;"You don't have to say anything,marlee,I know that you're scared that I might hurt you if you let me come to close."

"How did you know?"asked marlee surprised;"Is it that obvicious?"

"To me it is."started her date slowly;"I've noticed you're pulling away from me everytime I want to get close to you and I thought that it might be because you're afraid that I might hurt you just like you were probably hurt pretty badly by someone before."

"I don't want to pull away from you,ryan,but a part of me is just so scared of getting hurt again."answered marlee;"I don't want to be scared around you,because I really like you a lot and I want to see where this takes us."

"We don't have to rush this,marlee,we can take it one step at the time untill you're not scared anymore."smiled he and kissed her again;"There's no pressure and I'm not going anywhere either,so don't worry about it."

"Do you have any idea how great you are?"asked his date surprised;'There are not a lot of men that would feel that way."

"I'm not like most men."answered ryan;"I don't mind waiting for someone like you,marlee,because you're worth the wait."

Adam had been sitting next to m.j.'s bed at the hospital for hours,waiting for her to wake up again,when she finally opened her eyes;"Hey,sleepyhead."

"Adam…?"asked she softly and still half asleep;"I…."

"What were you thinking?"started her boyfriend slowly;"You know that you're not suppose to get out of bed and who knows what could have happened if Jamie hadn't walked by."

"Aaron…"said m.j. hesitating when she noticed the bruise above adam's left-eye and gently touched it;"Did he do that,adam?"

"Yes,but it's nothing."answered he;"It's my own fault."

"He was so angry,adam,I have never seen him like that."began his girlfriend with tears in her eyes;"I didn't want to tell him,but he demanded to know the truth about us and I didn't have any other choice then to tell him the truth."

"It's okay,honey,it's good that you told him the truth,m.j."said adam and kissed her"Atleast now I can show everybody how much I love you!"

"But what about aaron?"asked she worried as she tried to get up;"I have to find him and explain why I did what I did to him."

"You're not going anywhere!"answered her boyfriend and gently pushed m.j. back into bed;"Promise me that you won't try to get out of bed again untill Jamie says it's okay."

"You didn't see the look on aaron's face,adam!"started m.j. again;"I have to explain it to him and make him understand!"

"No,you have to stay here in bed and get better again!"said he;"I'm sure that aaron will come back downhere once he's calmed down again."

"But…"answered his girlfriend as she was starting to drift off back to sleep again;"I…."

"Go back to sleep,honey."smiled adam and kissed her again;"Things will look better again in the morning."

At the hudson's donna and Michael were just about to go to bed when Nicole showed up;"You told shane,didn't you?"

"Told him what?"asked donna confused;"Why aren't you with shane right now?"

"You told shane about me being pregnant!"started her sister angry;"Why did you do that?"

"Calm down a bit,Nicole,let's just sit down and talk about this."said Michael as he took her into the livingroom with him;"What happened?"

"He asked me to marry him."answered she and turned towards donna again;"You had no right telling him!"

"What did you say to him after he'd asked you?"began donna curious and couldn't understand why Nicole was so angry;"You did say yes to him,didn't you?"

"Ofcourse I didn't!"said her sister;"I can't marry him if he only asked me because I'm pregnant,donna!"

"But that's stupid,because shane was already going to ask you before he knew that you were pregnant!"answered she surprised;"He came here earlier today and asked me to pack a few things for you because he had booked the honeymoonsuite at tops for tonight,Nicole,he wanted to spend the night there with you after he'd popped the question."

"That's when donna told him that she was glad that you'd finally told him about being pregnant,Nicole,she thought that he wanted to ask you because of the baby."said Michael just before he went to open up the door when the doorbell rang;"Shane didn't know that you were pregnant when he decided to ask you to marry him."

"So he didn't know before?"asked his sister-in-law confused;"Is that true?"

"Yes,shane had no idea that you were pregnant untill I told him after he told us that he was going to ask you to marry him."started donna slowly;"Why didn't you just let him explain that to you,Nicole?"

"Because after he'd asked me I thought that you had told him and that he was only asking me to marry him because of me being pregnant."answered she tired;"I got so angry that I ran out of there before shane had a chance to explain anything to me."

"Then maybe you should talk to him again."said her sister;"Do you want to marry him?"

"Ofcourse I do,but do you really think that he will want to marry me after what I did tonight?"asked niocle softly;"I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to see me again after the way I acted."

"Well,nicole,I wouldn't worry about that."smiled her brother-in-law and when they turned around they saw him standing there with shane;"Look who's here."

"Shane…."started she hesitating;"I…."

"You don't have to say anything,nicky,it's okay."said shane as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her;"Will you marry me?"

"Yes,I do."smiled his girlfriend and kissed him back;"I sure do."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The next morning Amanda was just waking up when she saw sam sitting next to her bed in a chair,sleeping,so she gently woke him up;"Sam…?"

"What?"asked he confused as he woke up and saw his wife's worried face;"Amanda?"

"You aren't suppose to get out of bed,sam!"warned his wife him;"What are you doing here?"

"I…."started sam hesitating;'I had to see you and make sure that you're okay,Amanda."

"Didn't Jamie already tell you that I was okay?"asked she surprised;"He told you,didn't he?"

"Yes,but I have to see that for myself."answered her husband;"Besides,I missed you too."

"Why did you drive off like that,sam?"began Amanda softly;"Did you have any idea how worried I was after you left?"

"I just wasn't thinking clear anymore,Amanda,I thought that it didn't matter anymore."said he tired while he tried to ignore his headache,which was getting worse;"You didn't love me anymore and my brother was dead,so it just didn't seem to matter anymore."

"How could you have thought for just one second that it didn't matter anymore?"asked his wife angry;"What about me or our baby?"

"But you said that you never wanted to see me again and I thought that you hated me,Amanda!"

"I was angry,sam,but that doesn't mean that I didn't love you anymore!"anwered she;"I'm still angry at you for what you did,but maybe we can get past that."

"I…."began sam when the room started spinning infront of his eyes;"I…"

"Are you okay?"said his wife worried and pressed the nursesbutton when she realized that he wasn't doing so well,while she grabbed his hand with her other hand;"Can you hear me,sam?"

At aaron's hotelroom aaron was getting ready to see m.j. at the hospital when adam showed up;"What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you!"answered he and walked into the room;"About m.j."

"Why do you think that I would want to talk to you about m.j. after what you did?"asked aaron angry;"Just go away!"

"No,not untill you hear me out first,aaron!"began adam hesitating;"Do you have any idea how upset m.j. was yesterday and that she tried to follow you into the hallway after you left?"

"What happened?"said he;"She didn't hurt herself,did she?"

"She could have if Jamie hadn't shown up and caught her just in time before she passed out."

"Maybe I shouldn't have left m.j. like that at the hospital,but I wouldn't have if you hadn't slept with my girlfriend and stole her from me,adam!"

"M.j. was never yours to begin with,aaron,she has always been mine from the first day that we met."answered he;"I have been trying to ignore that for over two years now,but that day at my house when m.j. came to talk to me about justin again I realized that we belong together."

"Did you come here to tell me that?"asked aaron as he tried to stay calm and not attack adam again;"I don't need to hear that!"

"No,I came here to ask you to talk to m.j. and to forgive her for hurting you because this has really upset her and she doesn't need that after everything that she's been through!"said adam;"She even wanted to get out of bed lastnight,aaron,but I stopped her and made her promise that she wouldn't get out of bed again untill Jamie told her that it was okay."

"I don't want to put m.j. through anymore pain,adam,so I will go and talk to her at the hospital to tell her that it's okay."started he slowly;"I guess that I have always known that she'd go back to you if you would ask her to because she's always been honest with her feelings for you and she has never stopped loving you."

"Thanks,aaron."answered adam;"I know that this will mean a lot to her,because she does care a lot about you and she didn't want to hurt you."

"I know."said aaron with a faint smile;"I'm just sorry that she doesn't love me like the way that she loves you,adam."

"Well,I love her as much as she loves me."started he softly;"I'm going to make her happy this time."

"You'd better!"warned aaron him;"If you ever make her unhappy again I will come back from new York and you will have to answer to me!"

In the honeymoonsuite at tops shane was laying next to Nicole in the kingsize bed,watching her,when she woke up;"Goodmorning,baby."

"Goodmorning."smiled his girlfriend;"How long have you been laying there,shane,watching me?"

"For a little while."answered he;"I love watching you while you're sleeping."

"Is that something that I should worry about?"asked Nicole teasing and lay down on top of him;"Lastnight was great,shane,after a bad start it turned out to be the most special night of my life."

"I know."laughed her boyfriend as he kissed her;"Are you glad that I followed you to your sister's house,Nicole?"

"Ofcourse I am."started she softly;"I'm sorry about not telling you about being pregnant before and about almost messing up our special night."

"Stop apologizing,Nicole,all that matters is that it turned out just fine and we're engaged now."smiled shane and kissed her again while he put his arms around her waist;"We haven't set a date yet."

"No,we were pretty busy with other things lastnight."laughed his girlfriend;"Do you want to set a date now,shane?"

"Maybe later."whispered he into her ear as he pulled the covers over their heads;"We can stay here untill eleven,so let's make the most of it."

At the hospital Amanda was waiting for her brother to return to tell her about sam,who'd passed out in her room and had been taken back to his own room,when Jamie walked in;"How is he?"

"Sam's going to be just fine."said her brother as he sat down next to her bed on a chair;"As long as he doesn't do something as stupid like this again."

"I was just as surprised as you were when I woke up and saw him sitting next to my bed."started Amanda irritated;"Who knows how long he had been sitting there,Jamie."

"The guy is crazy about you,Amanda."laughed he;"Sam is so much in love with you that he's stupid enough to risk his health to be with you."

"I told him that I was still angry at him for what happened,but that maybe we could get past this."answered his sister softly;"I really do love him too,Jamie."

"I know you do."said Jamie;"You both love eachother and as soon as the two of you can get out of here you can work through this,amanda."

"Do you think that we can really get passed this?"asked she worried;"I really want to,Jamie,but I keep thinking about what he did."

"Just give it some time."answered her brother;"Ofcourse it's still on your mind right now,Amanda,but in time the memory of what he did will fade and you two will get past this."

"I hope so."said Amanda with a faint smile;"Because I don't want to lose sam."

It was just before noon when aaron walked into m.j.'s hospitalroom;"Hello,m.j."

"I'm so glad to see you."said she surprised;"I'm sorry about yesterday and I never wanted to hurt you in any way."

"I know and I shouldn't have walked away like that."started aaron slowly;"You've always been honest with me about how you felt about adam and I knew from the very first day that if he were to ask you back again that you would go to him without a doubt,so it wasn't really fair of me to get angry at you."

"You had every right to get angry with me,aaron,because I shouldn't have slept with him before I had a chance to talk to you about me wanting to get back together again with him."answered m.j. softly;"I want you to know that when I got back to baycity I didn't intend to make up with adam and neither did he,aaron,it took us both by surprise."

"Yes,I know."said he;"Adam told me."

"He told you?"asked m.j. confused;"When?"

"This morning when he showed up at my hotelroom to tell me that I shouldn't be mad at you and that you didn't mean to hurt me."

"Did adam really do that,aaron,did he really go up to your room to say all those things?"

"I guess that he really does love you."smiled aaron sadly;"I wish that I could tell you that you're making a big mistake by going back to him and that he doesn't love you,but I would be lying to you if I did that,m.j."

"I know that adam isn't perfect and that we have had our problems before,but I know that he loves me a lot and I also love him."answered she softly;"If I don't go back to him to see where it leads us then I might regret that for the rest of my life."

At mary's place Emily was helping ben out when she saw her brother coming in;"Oh,no!"

"I knew that he was lying!"said frank to her;"I knew that he was hiding you downhere!"

"Ben wasn't hiding me here at all and he didn't lie to you,because when you came here last time he really didn't know where I was."answered his sister irritated;"I didn't show up here untill the next day."

"Then he should have called us!"said Edwin while he turned towards ben;"Didn't I tell you to call us if Emily showed up here,ben?"

"Yes,you did."started he slowly;"But that doesn't mean that I have to do what you guys tell me to do!"

"Why can't you just leave us alone?"asked his girlfriend softly as she put her arm around ben's waist;"I love ben and I want to be with him!"

"We can't let you mess up your life with such a loser!"answered George;"Come on,Emily,he can never give you the life that you're used to!"

"But I don't care about that,because we love eachother and that's all that matters!"said she;"The fact that he loves me is more important to me then money!"

"What are you all doing here again?"asked jake irritated as he came out of the kitchen and saw emily's brothers again;"Didn't you go back to where you came from or something?"

"We came here to take Emily home with us and we're not leaving without her!"said George a bit angry;"We're not going to leave her here with this loser!"

"I would watch my mouth if I were you!"warned ben him as he got angry too;"Emily is staying here with me!"

"No,she isn't!"said his girlfriend's other brother and wanted to grab ben by his shirt;"She's coming home with us!"

"I'm staying here with ben!"answered Emily as she got infront of ben;"I'm pregnant with his baby!"

"You're what?"asked Edward shocked;"Did you get yourself knocked up by him?"

"Yes,I'm pregnant with ben's baby and we're happy about it."smiled his sister as she kissed ben;"This is where I belong!"

"Fine,emily,then stay here!"said her oldest brother still in shock as he pulled his brothers with him towards the door;"I will tell our parents about your decision!"


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Vince was sitting on the couch when mary sat down next to him;"Where's justin?"

"He's still asleep."started she slowly;"Have you thought about what you're going to do now?"

"Just sit here with you."smiled vince teasing as he put his arms around her;"Just the two of us."

"Very funny,vince,but that wasn't what I meant and you know it."said mary;"What do you want to do now that you can't work anymore?"

"Who says that I can't work anymore,mary?"asked he surprised;"All Jamie said was that I had to take it easy."

"You know damn well what he meant by that!"answered she irritated;"You know that you can't keep working at mary's place unless you want another heartattack."

"I don't see why not."said vince as he tried to stay calm;"Just because I have had a heartattack that doesn't mean that I have to stay at home and do nothing all day long."

"Jamie told you that running mary's place from morning untill night was too much strain on you and could cause you to have a second heartattack,vince!"

"What do you think will happen if I can't do anything anymore?"asked he slowly;"I know that you're worried about me,mary,but if I can't atleast work a little bit at mary's place then I won't survive because I need to feel usefull and not spend all my time at home on a couch or something."

"But if you keep working at mary's place like before it's going to kill you anyway,vince !"answered mary angry and wanted to get off the couch;"I don't want to stand around and watch you work yourself to death!"

"I won't work myself to death,mary,but I just can't sit around and do nothing."said vince as he pulled her back down next to him on the couch;"I promise you that I will take it really easy and that I will go the doctor for a check-up every few months so that you don't have to worry so much about me having another heartattack,honey."

At one of the penthouses at tops the cleaningladies knocked on the door to see if anybody was home;"Hello,housekeeping,can we come in?"

"Hey,this door is open."said one of the women surprised and pushed it further open;"Maybe they forgot to lock it,Hannah."

"That's just something for rich people to forget,liz,they don't care if their stuff gets stolen because they can just buy new things."answered she a bit irritated;"Let's just go inside,because we don't have all day."

"I wish that I could spend just one night in a penthouse like this."smiled liz as they went inside;"Just one night together with vic."

"The only reason why you'll ever be in a penthouse like this is to clean it,honey,so keep on dreaming."laughed Hannah as she walked into the livingroom and got the shock of her life;"Oh,my god!"

"What is it?"asked liz worried when she came out of the hallway and began screaming when she saw what her friend had seen : a man laying dead next to the couch and blood everywhere around him.

That afternoon at the hospital m.j. was talking to Cheryl when adam walked in;"Hello,ladies."

"Hi,adam."said Cheryl as she got up and walked to the door;"I have to go because I promised chad I would pick up some stuff for him at the store and bring it to his place."

"Say hello to him for me."answered her sister and turned towards adam after her sister had left the room;"So,adam,you seem to have had a busy morning."

"Did aaron tell you?"asked he surprised;"Is everything okay between you two now?"

"We didn't make up,adam,if that's what you're worried about."started m.j. slowly;"We had a good talk and he understands now that I have to do this."

"I just hated seeing you like that lastnight and I had to do something,m.j."began her boyfriend hesitating;"Does this mean that it's really over between you two now?"

"I guess so."said she;"I really care a lot about aaron and in a way I might even love him up to some level,but not in the same way that I love you."

"So,does this really mean that I don't have to hide the fact that I love you anymore?"asked adam teasing while he sat down on her bed;"Can I finally see you day or night and kiss you no matter who else is in the room with us?"

"Yes,I already told you before.""smiled his girlfriend;"But I don't think the nurses will be all that happy if you were to show up to see me at night,adam."

"You and justin are moving in with me as soon as you get out of here!"said he all of a sudden and kissed her;"Or better yet,we're going to get a bigger house for when justin gets brothers or sisters."

"Aren't you moving a bit fast now?"asked m.j. surprised;"We just got back together again,adam,shouldn't we take it slow?"

"No way!"smiled adam and kissed her again;"Now that I've got you back again I'm going to make sure that we stay together!"

Shane was waiting for the captain,outside of his office,when ryan walked up to him;"Hi,ryan,did the captain call you too?"

"Yes,on my day off."said he irritated;"I thought that we deserved a day off after all the hard work that we put into the robbery-case."

"So did i."answered shane as the captain opened the door and called them both in;"Hello,sir."

"I've got a new case for you both."started their captain slowly as he sat down again;"There was a murder at tops earlier and I want you both to work on it."

"What happened?"asked ryan surprised;"Who got killed?"

"Regioneld laSalle or better known as regioneld love."answered samuals as he turned towards shane when he saw the shocked look on his face;"Yes,Cassidy,the father of your girlfriend and I guess judging by the look on your face that you hadn't heard about this yet."

"No,I didn't know,captain,does his family know?"began he hesitating;"And doesn't the fact that he was nicole's father make me a bad choice to have working on this case?"

"His identity wasn't made public untill ten minutes ago and I already send somebody to the hudson's to tell them the news."started his captain irritated;"You're a policeofficer and it shouldn't matter who the victim is,Cassidy,together with adam you're my best team,but he seems to have taken the week off for some reason and that is why I want you to handle this with ryan!"

"But,sir,this really isn't something for shane to be doing!"tried ryan again;"You can't expect shane to question his own girlfriend and her family."

"Why not?"asked samuals and turned towards ryan;"He's a detective and investigating murders is his job,Harrison,so that's what he will do in this case and that's the end of it!"


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

At the laSalle's scott was working in his study when he heard dawn calling out to him and she sounded upset,so he rushed into the livingroom;"What's wrong,honey,are you okay?"

"Your father…."started she still in shock;"It was just on the news."

"What was on the news?"asked her husband irritated;"I don't have a father anymore!"

"Let me finish,scott!"said dawn softly as she pulled him down next to her on the couch;"It was just on the news that he was murdered at tops in his penthouse there."

"Murdered?"began he shocked;"Are you sure?"

"Yes,that's what they said on the news."answered his wife;"Are you okay,scott?"

"I'm fine,dawn,why wouldn't I be?"asked scott annoyed;"I didn't think of him as my father for a long time and I hated him for what he had done to my mother,so I'm not going to pretend that I'm sorry that he's dead."

"But he was still your father,scott."said she surprised about the way he was acting;"He's the only father that you have ever known."

"I stopped seeing him as my father after I found out the truth about what he'd done to my mother and also to a lot of other people,so don't start about the fact that he raised me!"answered her husband;"My mother raised me!"

"Your mother!"started dawn suddenly;"Do you think that she knows about this yet,scott?"

"I hope not!"said he worried as he got up;"I have to tell her before she sees it on tv or something like that."

Just at the same time shane was driving towards the Hudson's to see if his fiancée was there after he'd been to her store and she wasn't there when he saw a lot of reporters setting up their stuff infront of the gate;"Damn it!"

"Are you here on policebusiness or is this a social call,lt. Cassidy?"asked one of the reporters as shane stopped and opened the window to press the gatebutton;"Is there a suspect yet?"

"Don't you guys have something better to do?"answered he irritated and drove through the gate when it opened up;"Leave these people alone!"

"Shane!"said Michael relieved when he saw him parking his car infront of the house and getting out of his car;"I'm glad that you're here."

"Where's Nicole?"asked shane worried as he walked into the house;"Is she okay?"

"Neither of them really cared much for regioneld,but still they're shocked by his murder."started his friend hesitating as they went straight into the livingroom;"Are there any suspects yet,shane?"

"I don't know."answered he uncomfortable and sat down next to Nicole as he put his arms around her;"Hey,baby,are you okay?"

"It's funny,shane,I really hated regioneld and I couldn't have cared less if I'd never see him again,but now that he's dead I can't believe it."said Nicole with tears in her eyes;"That's weird,isn't it?"

"Ofcourse not,Nicole,no matter what he did he was still your father."began shane and held her tight;"It's gonna be okay again."

It was just before half past seven when ben walked into the kitchen at mary's place and found his girlfriend there cleaning up;"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"asked Emily laughing as she turned around;"I'm cleaning up."

"You don't have to do that!"said her boyfriend and pulled her into his arms while he kissed her;"You should take it easy,em."

"Come on,ben,according to the doctor I'm about eight weeks pregnant,so there's no reason why I should take it easy."answered she a bit annoyed;"I'm pregnant,but that doesn't make me an invalid."

"But I'm just worried about you and the baby."started ben hesitating;"I just want you to be carefull."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me or the baby."smiled his girlfriend as she saw that he was really worried and kissed him;"The baby isn't due for atleast another 32 weeks,so please don't act so worried all the time,ben."

"Okay,I'm sorry and I will try to act a little less worried."answered he and kissed her back;"It's just that you mean the world to me and so does this baby,so I don't want to lose you both."

"You won't lose us."promised Emily him;"There is nothing that can keep us apart anymore,ben."

Nicole was standing infront of the livingroom-window of her sister's house,looking outside,when Michael came back;"Are they still out there?"

"Yes,I'm afraid so."said her brother-in-law and turned towards his wife;"Are you okay,donna?"

"Ofcourse I'm not okay!"answered she angry;"I can't leave my house without being ambushed by a pack of reports with all kinds of questions about my father!"

"I'm sure that they will give up at some point."started Michael slowly as he turned towards shane;"Who's on the case?"

"Ryan is."said he uncomfortable;"Together with me."

"With you?"asked his girlfriend looking up;"Are you investigating regioneld's murder?"

"Yes,but not because I want to!"answered shane;"I asked the captain to give the case to somebody else,Nicole,but he refused."

"Then you must have some idea who might have done this."began she curious;"Do you have a suspect yet?"

"No,I don't and even if I did then I wouldn't be able to talk to you about it."said her boyfriend irritated;"Please,Nicole,don't ask me things like that!"

"Shane is right!"answered donna softly;"Since he's on the case he can't talk to us about it because we're probably suspects number one since we all hated him."

"Are we suspects?"asked her sister surprised and turned towards her fiancée;"Shane?"

"I can't talk to you about this case!"said shane tired;"If any of you were really suspects at this point then you'd be sitting at the policestation right now,Nicole,that's all I can tell you."

At m.j. was staring infront of her,wishing that she was at home with her son and adam,when Jamie walked in;"Hi,Jamie,what are you still doing here?"

"I was on my way home when one of the nurses told me that you'd had a pretty bad nightmare and it seems that you've been having a lot of those,m.j."started the young doctor slowly;"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."answered she;"I've been having nightmares eversince I got shot in new York."

"Maybe you should talk to somebody about it then."said Jamie hesitating;"Maybe to a professional or something."

"To a shrink?"asked his friend irritated;"I'm not crazy,Jamie!"

"I didn't say that you were,but you need help to deal with those nightmares if you want them to go away."answered he;"I know somebody that can really help you."

"I don't know,Jamie,I don't see how talking about it is going to make the nightmares go away."

"Don't you want them to go away again?"asked the young doctor;"See a psychiatrist doesn't make you crazy!"

"Maybe not,but I still don't see what difference it would make if I went to talk to one."answered m.j.;"It wouldn't change anything."

"You don't know that."said Jamie;"Maybe it would help to make the nightmares stop."

"Just by talking about it,Jamie,I seriously doubt it."

"It might."started he slowly;"Would you atleast consider going once?"

"Maybe."answered his friend hesitating;"Maybe just one time to make you happy and to get you off my back."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

The next day vince found mary sitting out on the porch when he came downstairs;"What are you doing outhere?"

"Nothing."said she looking up;"Is the rest still asleep?"

"Yes,I think so."answered vince as he sat down down next to her;"Are you thinking about regioneld and about what has happened to him?"

"A bit."started mary hesitating;"It's sad that somebody hated him enough to kill him,vince."

"He had it coming."said he;"I still can't understand why you didn't tell me that he was in town."

"I knew how you feel about him and I didn't want you to get all worked up about him so soon after your heartattack."answered mary;"I thought that he would be gone by the time that you would be able to leave the hospital."

"What did you think that I was going to do,mary?"asked vince irritated;"Kill him or something?"

"That isn't funny,vince !"warned she him;"Don't joke about that!"

"You seem pretty upset about his death!"started he slowly;"Maybe you still have some feelings for him."

"How can you say that?"asked mary softly;"I'm with you,aren't i?"

"Yes,but that doesn't mean that you still couldn't have some feelings for him inside."answered vince;"You were with me once before untill you went away with him!"

"It wasn't like that and you damn well know it!"said she angry and walked away;"It wasn't like that at all,vince!"

Shane was sitting in his office at the policestation when ryan walked in;"Morning."

"Goodmorning,shane."said he and sat down at his own desk;"You look like you didn't get much sleep lastnight."

"Nicole wasn't really happy with me being on the case."started his friend tired;"I knew that this would happen,ryan,that is why I wanted the captain to give the case to somebody else."

"You can forget about that,shane."answered ryan;"Where is Nicole now?"

"She decided to stay with her sister to avoid the reporters and probably me too."said he;"She kept asking me to tell her things about the case and if they were suspects,but I told her that I couldn't talk to her about that and she just refused to accept that."

"It must be hard for her to have you on this case."began his friend;"This is her family that you have to dig into,shane."

"Do you think that I like being on this case?"asked shane angry;"I have asked the captain to put me on another case,ryan,but you heard what he said."

"I'm sure Nicole is just acting out because of everything that has happened and that once she's calmed down a bit she will realize that this isn't your fault."answered he;"I'm sure that by tonight Nicole will have forgive you."

At the hospital susan was surprised to see Jamie waiting outside of her office;"Goodmorning,Jamie,what are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you."answered he;"I have a patient that I want you to talk to."

"Come on in then."said susan as she opened up her officedoor and let him in;"Tell me about your patient."

"This patient got seriously hurt when she got caught up in a drive-by shooting and after a long time in the hospital she was able to go home,but eversince it happened she'd been having terrible nightmares and serious headache-attacks,so I thought that you might be able to help."started her friend slowly;"I have been able to talk my patient into one talk with you,susan,but she wasn't jumping for joy about it because she thinks that talking to you is going to make her look crazy."

"Who is this patient of yours?"asked she and was surprised when Jamie didn't answer her straight away;"Jamie?"

"I'm not sure if you will still be willing to see my patient if I tell you her name."

"Why not,Jamie,is she a cold blooded-killer or something?"

"No,she's the reason why you broke things off with adam."answered Jamie;"It's m.j. ."

"Oh."said his friend surprised;"Why wouldn't I want to see her because of that,Jamie?"

"Maybe because of what happened with adam and that it might make you feel uncomfortable."started he hesitating;"I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it."

"How could you even think that I would reject her as a patient because of that?"asked susan irritated;"What happened between me and adam isn't her fault."

"I'm sorry."answered her friend a bit ashamed;"Does this mean that you're going to have a session with her,susan?"

"Does she know that I'm the psychiatrist?"said she;"Did you tell her?"

"No,not yet,susan,but I'm going to tell her and I'm sure that she won't mind."

"She must be in really bad shape for you to be asking me this,Jamie,I have never seen you this worried about a patient before."

"M.j. is more then a patient,susan,I have known her all of my life and we became pretty close when she was seeing adam years ago."started Jamie with a faint smile;"I wouldn't be asking this of you if I didn't think that she really needs help with her nightmares,susan,according to the nurses she wakes up screaming during the day or night many times when she's asleep unless they gave her a sleeping-pill before she goes to sleep and since m.j. was already taking way too many heavy painkillers since the shooting I don't want her to do the same with the sleeping-pills."

"It's okay,Jamie,I know that you wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious and that's what I'm here for."answered susan;"I will have a session with her and maybe I can help."

Around lunchtime shane was called into the captain's office with ryan;"How far are you on this case?"

"We've been asking around,but there's nothing special so far."answered ryan;"The man had lots of enemies,so a lot of people could be a suspect."

"What about his family?"asked samuals;"Have you questioned any of them yet,Harrison?"

"No,not yet."said he;"They just lost their father,so I didn't think that this was the right time."

"His oldest daughter seems to have pulled a gun on him at tops not too long ago,so that makes her our number one suspect and I want you two to bring her in for questioning!"started the captain slowly;"Right now!"

"Do you want us to arrest her?"asked shane shocked;"I can't arrest nicole's sister,captain!"

"Ofcourse you can,Cassidy,you're a policeman and that's your job!"said he;"But don't worry,you only have to bring her in for questioning for now."

"Please just take me off this case."begged the young cop tired;"I can't stay on this case!"

"Yes,you can and you will,because I'm not taking you off this case!"warned samuals him;"As long as I'm captain here you will do as I tell you or else you can turn in your badge and your gun,Cassidy,is that understood?"

"Yes,sir."said shane softly as he walked out of the office with ryan;"This is just great."

"Do you want me to talk to the captain about taking you off the case again,shane?"asked his friend worried and walked with him out of the policestation and towards his car;"I can try to change his mind."

"Thanks,ryan,but once he has made up his mind it's no use."answered he;"How am I suppose to explain this to Nicole?"


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

At the 's vince was talking to aaron,who'd dropped in to say goodbye,when Cheryl came in through the backdoor;"Hi,aaron,what are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye."answered he;"I have to go back to new York."

"I'm sorry that you and m.j. broke up."said Cheryl;"She told me about that when I went to see her yesterday and said that you two had a good talk."

"Well,I only want what is best for m.j. and if adam is what's best for her then I'm okay with that."started aaron hesitating;"I can't make her love me and not because I haven't tried,but it's no use because she loves him."

"Who says that adam cory is what is best for my daughter?"asked vince annoyed;"He has broken her heart once before and drove her out of town,so who says that he won't do that again?"

"Pops!"warned his daughter him surprised;"Adam really loves m.j. and he would never do anything to hurt her."

"I wish that I could tell you that adam is no good for her,vince,but I would be lying if I did."said aaron;"He does seem to love her and he wants to make her happy."

"But what if his pride gets in the way again?"asked he worried;"Two years ago my daughter left town and disappeared for a long time because of him,so what will happen next time he gets angry at her again?"

"M.j. only had herself to blame for adam getting angry at her and calling off the wedding back then,paps,so you can't keep blaming him for that!"answered Cheryl;"I'm sure that they can make it work this time,because they really love eachother."

Jake was working at mary's place when Vicky came in and kissed him;"Hey,you."

"What brings you downhere?"asked he surprised;"Weren't you suppose to be out riding with your sister or something?"

"No,marlee called me to cancel,because there are reporters everywhere downthere."answered his girlfriend;"They can hardly get in or out."

"The death of your grandfather is big news."said jake;"Especially since he was murdered,vicky."

"Who do you think did it?"started she curious;"Be honest!"

"I really have no idea."answered her boyfriend;"Almost everybody hated him in this town,so that leaves the police with enough suspects."

"Marlee said that shane is working on this case together with her new boyfriend,ryan."began Vicky slowly;"Nicole seems to be really upset about that,jake."

"Why?"asked he surprised;"That is what shane does for a living and he can't always decide what case he works on,so I don't see why she should be upset about it."

"I guess you're right."answered his girlfriend and put her arms around jake's neck and kissed him again;"I don't know who killed regioneld,jake,but it sure wasn't you or me because we were together when he was killed."

At the hudson's Michael opened the door and was surprised to see shane standing there with ryan;"Hey,guys,what's up?"

"We're here on policebusiness,mr. Hudson."answered ryan;"Can we please come in?"

"Ofcourse."said he confused;"Is everything okay?"

"What are you doing here,ryan?"asked his daughter surprised when she came out of the livingroom with her mother and her aunt;"Did I forget a lunch or something."

"Shane?"began Nicole too as she turned worried towards her fiancée;"Why are you here?"

"They are here on policebusiness."answered her brother-in-law;"So,this isn't a lunchdate or anything."

"We're here to ask mrs. Hudson to come down to the station with us to answer a few questions about her father's murder."said ryan and turned towards donna;"Would you mind coming with us,mrs. Hudson?"

"Are you here to pick up my sister?"asked Nicole angry as she looked at shane;"How can you do this,shane?"

"I don't want to do this,Nicole,but it's my job and I don't have any other choice!"answered he tired;"I'm sorry."

"It's okay,shane,I don't mind coming down to the station with you guys."said donna and tried to calm Nicole down;"Don't be mad at shane or ryan,because they are only doing their jobs."

"Please try to understand."started shane again and tried to pull her into his arms,but she pushed him away and ran up the stairs;"Nicole…"

"We have to go."said his friend as he opened the frontdoor;"Are you ready,mrs. Hudson?"

"I will call scott right away and have him come to the station."promised Michael as he kissed his wife goodbye;"We will have this sorted out in no time."

Later that day m.j. was sitting in a chair by the window in her hospitalroom when adam walked in;"What are you doing out of bed,m.j.?"

"Jamie said that it was okay."said she annoyed about the way he came in;"He told me that I could get out of bed for a while."

"Oh,I guess it's okay then."answered adam surprised;"I'm sorry."

"Why aren't you at the policestation?"asked his girlfriend all of a sudden;"Shouldn't you be there helping on that big murdercase,adam?"

"No,i don't."said he hesitating;"I've got the week off."

"Just like that?"answered m.j. confused;"Why?"

"Well,I did something stupid and shane made me take the week off or else he was gonna tell the captain about what I had done."started her boyfriend slowly;"I attacked a suspect while he was in his jailcell,m.j."

"Why would you do something as stupid as that?"asked she stuned;"Who did you attack?"

"A guy that was a suspect in the robbery-case and who turned out to be one of the robbers later on."answered adam a bit ashamed when he saw the look on her face;"I know that it was stupid and that I shouldn't have done it,but I was so angry after they shot you that I kind of lost it."

"The things that you do something."smiled his girlfriend as she pulled him closer to her and kissed him;"Come here,you!"

Inside amanda's room she was just watching some television when all of a sudden her parents walked in;"What are you guys doing back here?"

"Did you really think that we were going to stay in England after Jamie called us with the news that you and sam were both in the hospital?"asked Rachel as she gave her daughter a hug;"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine now,mom,you shouldn't have come back yet."said her daughter surprised;"How did Mathew take the news about mitch?"

"He was pretty upset,amanda,but he's gonna be okay again."started mac slowly;"He also knows about your mother's condition too."

"How?"asked she shocked;"Did you guys decide to tell him?"

"We didn't want to,but I passed out as we were out to dinner and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance,so there mac told Mathew the truth."answered she;"I wish that he hadn't,but it seems that he didn't have much of a choice."

"No,I didn't,Rachel,because the doctor was asking all kinds of questions while Mathew was standing right next to me and I had to tell him the truth."said her husband irritated and turned back towards his daughter;"How is sam doing?"

"He's got a concusion,dad,but he's gonna be okay again."started Amanda hesitating;"What did Jamie tell you?"

"Everything that has been going on since we went away."answered he and walked towards the door;"I'm going to see how sam is doing."

"Good idea."said his wife and looked at her daughter after mac had left;"How are things between you and sam now,Amanda?"

"I don't know,mom,I want to forgive him and get passed what happened,but I'm still really angry at him."answered she softly;"I still can't understand how he could have done that to me."

"Sometimes people do stupid things that they might regret later on,honey,it happens and it doesn't make them bad people or anything."started Rachel hesitating;"I've made terrible mistakes over the years too,but your father and I loved eachother enough to work through them."

"Like your affair with mitch and getting pregnant with Mathew?"asked her daughter;"How was dad able to forgive you for that,mom?"

"With a lot of patience and hard work from both of us."answered she;"If you love eachother enough you will be able to get through almost anything."


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

At the policestation donna was in shane's officed when he came back with a cup of coffee and gave it to her;"Thanks,shane."

"I'm really sorry about this,donna."started he softly;"I didn't want to bring you in,but I didn't have much of a choice."

"It's okay."said donna;"I know that you're only doing your job and I'm not angry at you or at ryan."

"I wish that Nicole would feel the same way."answered her sister's fiancée tired;"Everything was so perfect after I finally asked her to marry me and found out that we're gonna have a baby together untill I got called into the captain's office yesterday,donna,then everything went to pieces!"

"Maybe she's angry at you right now,shane,but I'm sure that she won't be anymore once she's calmed down and understands that you're only doing your job."

"I didn't ask for this damn case and I have asked the captain to put somebody else on it,donna,but he said no."answered shane;"He said that I was a policeofficer and that this was my job."

"You don't have to convince me that you didn't ask for this."said she softly;"I know that you don't like this anymore then I do and I'm sure that Nicole will realize that too as soon she calms down again,shane."

That night vince was beginning to get really worried about mary since she hadn't been home all day after she'd left that morning,angry,and he was just about to call his oldest daughter about it when mary came in through the backdoor;"Where have you been all day?"

"I went to see m.j. at the hospital and I helped out at mary's place for a while."said mary;"Why do you even care where I was anyway?"'

"Ofcourse I care!"answered vince;"First you walk out on me this morning,angry,and then you stay out all day without calling me,mary!"

"What did you expect?"asked she still angry;"You accuse me of still having feelings for regioneld and you also made it pretty clear that you still think that I would cheat on you again."

"I didn't mean it like that,mary,I was just upset about the whole mess."started he slowly;"I shouldn't have said that and I'm sorry."

"Is that suppose to make it allright,vince,do you have any idea how much you've hurt me when you said that?"

"Ofcourse saying sorry doesn't make it okay,but I don't know what else to say and I can't take it back."

"Then why did you say it in the first place?"asked mary with tears in her eyes;"Do you really believe that I might still feel something for regioneld or that I would cheat on you again?"

"I guess that I was jealous,mary."answered vince hesitating;"That's why I said those stupid things."

"Jealous?"started she surprised;"Jealous of somebody who's dead?"

"You seemed so upset about his death that I got jealous and I know that it sounds stupid,but that's the way I felt."

"I wasn't upset about his death,vince,I was upset about the fact that he got somebody to hate him so much that they shot him to death!"answered mary;"There's nothing to be jealous about that."

"I'm sorry,mary,I acted like a real jerk."said vince as he pulled her into his arms;"Can you please forgive me?"

"If you don't ever talk to me like that again!"warned she him softly and layed her head against his chest;"Never again,vince!"

"I promise."answered he and kissed her;"I will never put you through that again!"

At the hospital adam was walking towards m.j.'s room when he heard her screaming,so he rushed into her room and found her sitting straight up in bed,while she was shaking all over;"What happened?"

"Nothing."said m.j. quickly as she layed back down on the bed;"I just had a bad dream,adam,that's all."

"That must have been some bad dream if I could hear you scream all the way down the hall."started he hesitating;"Maybe you should talk to somebody about this,because this wasn't the first time that you had a nightmare."

"I've already heard all of that from Jamie,so you don't have to start in on me about that too!"answered his girlfriend;"He talked me into having atleast one session with a shrink."

"He has?"asked adam surprised;"Why didn't you tell me,m.j?"

"I forgot."said she irritated;"Tomorrow I'm suppose to talk to your ex."

"I'm glad that you're going to try to do something about those nightmares."smiled her boyfriend happy;"Maybe susan can help you."

"We'll see."began m.j. slowly;"I might be able to go home next week,adam."

"That's great news."said he and kissed her;"Then you and justin can move in with me."

"No."answered his girlfriend and saw the disappointed look on adam's face;"I know that you want us to move in with you and I wish that we could,but I don't wanna rush into this with you right away!"

"But why not?"asked adam confused;"We've been apart for so long and if the house is too small we can always get a bigger house or something,m.j."

"The house isn't the problem and neither are you,adam."said she;"One of the reasons why I don't want to move in right away is because of justin."

"Why?"started her boyfriend annoyed;"Do you think that I wouldn't be able to take care of my own son or something?"

"Ofcourse I don't think that,adam,that wasn't what I meant!"answered m.j. tired;"All I'm trying to say is that justin hardly knows who you are and moving in with you before he gets to know you a little better isn't such a good idea."

"And who's fault is it that he doesn't know me?"asked he angry,but calmed down the second he saw the hurt look in her eyes;"I shouldn't have said that,honey,that was pretty mean and I'm sorry."

"You're right though about it being my fault that he doesn't know you and I'm sorry about that."began his girlfriend softly;"But moving in with you right now isn't a good idea and I'm not doing this to hurt you in any way."

"I know and you're probably right."said adam as he put his arms around her and kissed her;"I'm sorry,baby,I really want to move in with you and justin,but if you think that it's better to wait a while then we will untill you're ready."

Nicole was waiting for donna to back from the policestation when she finally walked in with Michael;"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine,Nicole."said her sister;"Shane made sure that I was as comfortable as possible,so it wasn't that bad."

"Shane shouldn't have picked you up in the first place,like some criminal."started she angry;"He should have known that you wouldn't kill anybody."

"You can't blame shane for doing his job."answered donna;"Don't be angry at him."

"Why not,donna?"asked her sister;"He could have said no to his captain and turned down the job."

"Come on,Nicole,he's a policeofficer and he's suppose to do what his captain tells him to do."said she;"Shane didn't have any other choice then to bring me in."

"Donna is right,Nicole,you shouldn't be mad at shane for doing his job."started Michael slowly;"Why don't you call him up,because I'm sure that he's feeling pretty badly about everything right now and that he would love to hear from you."

"I don't care how badly he feels right now,Michael,because he has brought that on to himself!"answered Nicole as she started to walk away;"I never want to see him again!"


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

At the cory's Rachel was sitting on the couch,while she looked at Jamie and lisa;"I've asked you both to come downhere for a reason."

"Did you want to talk to us about sam and Amanda?"asked her son;"Or about Mathew?"

"About neither of them."answered mac as he saw how difficult this was for his wife;"Your mother has asked you to come downhere for another reason."

"You asked us downhere so that you could tell us something,rachel,didn't you?"started their daughter-in-law hesitating;"Something important?"

"Yes,I did."said she softly;"About four weeks ago I went to see doctor white because I'd been having a lot of headaches,along with other symptoms."

"What did Edwin say?"asked Jamie worried when he saw the sad look in rachel's eyes;"It must be pretty bad if you've waited so long to tell us,mom."

"It's…."began his mother not sure how to tell them;"It's a braintumor that can't be removed or cured,Jamie."

"Oh,my god!"answered he shocked as his wife put her arms around him and held him tight;"Does that mean that you're going to die?"

"Yes,it does."said Rachel tired;"Probaly in about five or six months."

"Are you in a lot of pain?"asked her daughter-in-law worried;"It must have been terrible these last few weeks while you were walking around,rachel,knowing that you're going to die."

"At first it was,but there was nothing that I could do to change it and so I have accepted it."answered she with a faint smile and took her husband's hand into hers;"I've had a good life,so it isn't as bad as you think and I've got medication to block out the pain."

"How can you say that?"started Jamie angry;"How can you say that dying isn't so bad,mom?"

"Calm down,Jamie,getting all worked up about this isn't going to change anything!"said his step-father;"All your mother is trying to say is that she has accepted the fact that she's dying and that she's happy with the life that she's lived."

"I don't see how you two can both talk about this as if it's no big deal!"answered he and looked at his mother;"How can you just give up without a fight,mom?"

"Because I can't win this fight,honey,there is nothing that I or anybody else can do to stop me from dying."said Rachel and grabbed his hand;"I just want to spend whatever time I have left in peace with my family."

The next morning Michael was on his way out the door when shane showed up;"Goodmorning,shane,you're up early."

"Is Nicole here?"asked he uncomfortable;"I really need to talk to her."

"She's here,but I don't know if she wants to talk to you."answered Michael;"She's really angry at you."

"I know that,Michael."said the young cop tired;"Are you angry at me too for taking donna down to the policestation with me?"

"No,ofcourse not,shane,I know that you were only doing your job and you didn't have much of a choice."started he slowly;"But Nicole doesn't seem to understand that and she's really angry at you right now."

"What is he doing here?"asked a voice behind them and when they turned around they saw Nicole standing there with donna;"Didn't I tell you guys that I never wanted to see him again?"

"Come on,Nicole,you're only saying that because you're angry right now."said here sister and stopped Nicole as she wanted to walk away;"This isn't shane's fault,because he was only doing what he was told to do and you shouldn't be angry with him for that!"

"Please,just listen to me,Nicole,that's all I'm asking of you!"begged shane;"I didn't want to be on this case or bring in your sister down to the station and I've asked the captain to pull me off the case,but he refused and said that I had to do my job."

"You could have said no!"answered his girlfriend still angry;"How can you work on something that is all about our family,shane?"

"If I had said no then I would have been out of a job."said he tired;"Nobody says no to the captain when he gives you a direct order."

"Then your job is more important then I am!"yelled Nicole furious as she ran up the stairs;"Go to hell,shane Cassidy!"

"Don't worry,shane,I will talk to her when she's calmed down."promised her sister as she looked at shane,who stood there with tears in his eyes;"I'm sure that she will change her mind if you give her some time."

At the hospital sam was having breakfast when his wife came in,sitting in a wheelchair;"Amanda…?"

"Hi,sam."said she hesitating;"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better."answered her husband;"And you?"

"I feel fine,but sharlene doesn't want to let me go home yet untill she's sure that the contractions have really stopped."

"Jamie said that I could go home by the end of the week."started sam slowly;"I have asked felica if I can have mitch's old room at tops and she said yes."

"Why do you want your brother's old room?"asked his wife surprised;"Aren't you coming home,sam?"

"No,not yet,because I think that it's better if I stay at tops for a while."answered he;"Just untill we can sort things out between us."

"But moving out?"began Amanda shocked;"Do you really want to move out of our home?"

"I don't see it as moving out,honey,it's only to give you some space to get over what I did to you and to let you decide what you want to do,Amanda."

"I want us to get back to the way things were between us before I found out about your night with tara,sam,I want things to get back to normal again and I don't want my mother to die!"answered his wife with tears in her eyes;"That's what I want!"

"I know that and I want that too,but the fact is that I spend the night with her and that your mother is going to die."said sam softly and put his arms around her to comfort her;"There is nothing that we can to change that and all we can do is try to get past it."

Mary was making breakfast for everybody when Cheryl came home after spending the night at chad's;"Goodmorning,honey."

"Goodmorning,mama."said her daughter;"Is everything okay again between you and pops?"

"Yes,everything's fine."answered she surprised;"Did your father tell you about our fight?"

"No,but he was in such a bad mood and you were gone all day long yesterday that it wasn't hard to figure out that you two must have had a fight or something."

"We did,but lastnight we sorted everything out."said her mother;"How was chad?"

"He's doing good and ofcourse happy to be home."started Cheryl hesitating;"He wants me to move in with him,mama."

"That's a big step."answered she;"Do you want to move in with him?"

"Yes,I do,but I don't know if I should."said her daughter;"I'm glad that everything is out in the open,but moving in together might be a bit too much right now."

"You shouldn't let other people live your life for you,Cheryl,if you really love chad and want to move in with him then you should."

"Just like that?"asked she surprised about her mother's advice;"But how do you think pops will react to the news of me moving in with chad?"

"I don't know how your father will react,Cheryl,but this is your life and not your father's."answered mary;'You have to do what you think is the right thing to do,honey,even if that means that your father or somebody else might get upset."

It was just before one o'clock when m.j. was brought into susan's office in a wheelchair by one of the nurses;"Hello,doctor Harrison."

"Please call me susan."said she looking up;"Are you nervous?"

"A bit."answered m.j. hesitating;"I don't feel comfortable about being here."

"That's only normal."started susan slowly;"You don't have to talk about anything that you don't want to talk about and everything that you say remains within these four walls,m.j."

"I don't want to talk about anything,but I do realize if I don't then my nightmares aren't going to go away."

"Why don't you just start by telling me about new York and then we will see where that gets us?"

"New York was great and I loved every second of it untill that day."began m.j. softly;"I will never forget the sound and the pain I felt after that."

"Do you still remember getting shot?"asked susan curious;"Do you remember every little detail,m.j.?"

"No,it's funny,but all I remember is the sound of the guns and the pain."answered she;"I don't remember the car coming down the street or aaron screaming at me to look out,susan,these are all things that aaron told me afterwards,but I do remember the sound of being shot and the pain I felt."

"Except for in your nightmares?"said she;"Aren't you nightmares all about what happened that day?"

"I'd just wish that the nightmares would go away and I could forget about that day,but I guess that I will never forget it because I have my nightmares and my scares to remind of what happened every single day."

"Maybe the memory of what happened will never go away again,but we can atleast try to make it fade away a bit and make it less painfull."answered susan slowly;"Those nightmares are only there because your mind has been trying to hard to block that day out instead of dealing with it."


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

At the policestation shane was going through some paperwork when ryan walked in;"We might have a lead in the love-case."

"What kind of lead?"asked shane surprised;"One that clears donna?"

"I'm afraid not."answered his friend hesitating;"Somebody saw her coming out of regioneld's room around the time that he was killed,shane."

"Please tell me that this is a joke!"said he tired;"Just tell me that you didn't find evidence to link nicole's sister to regioneld's death and make her our prime-suspect?"

"I'm sorry,shane,but when I went to question all the people on the victim's floor one the guests came with the story that they had seen a dark-haired woman leaving regioneld's room around the time that was killed and she seemed really upset and in a hurry and when I showed him a picture of donna he made it pretty clear that she was the woman that he has seen."

"Do you have any idea how the captain is going to react when he finds out about this?"asked his friend shocked;"He will have her arrested right away,ryan!"

"I'm sorry,but he already knows."said he;"I ran into him on my way downhere and I had to tell him."

"That's just great."answered shane;"What did he say?"

"Well,he's on the phone with the d.a. right now."started his friend slowly;"So,that probably means that he will want us to arrest her as soon as he can get a warrant."

"Nicole is going to kill me,ryan,she will hate me for the rest of her life if I go downthere to arrest her sister!"

"I'm really sorry,shane,but there is nothing that you can do about that."said ryan;"The captain isn't going to take you off the case."

Amanda was sitting in her room,feeling pretty badly about sam wanting to live at tops for a while when her parents came in;"Hi,guys."

"Hello,honey,is everything okay?"asked her mother worried when she saw the sad look in her eyes;"Did you get some bad news?"

"Sam wants to move into his brother's old room at tops."answered Amanda;"He told me this morning,mom."

"We know,Amanda,he told us last night."started she slowly;"We think it's a good idea for him to stay at tops for a while untill you two can sort things out."

"How can you say that?"said her daughter irritated;"How can we work things out if he's in a hotel across town?"

"Sam is moving out to give you some space to get over what happened,Amanda,instead of him being there to remind you about it all the time."answered mac;"Come on,honey,this isn't going to be forever."

"As soon as you two have worked things out again sam will move back into the house or you two can find a house of your own."started his wife softly;"This isn't the end of the world and if you two really love eachother then you will find your way back to eachother."

At mary's place Kathleen was working behind the counter with her brother,while they were talking to cass,when adam came in;"Hi,guys."

"Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"asked ben teasing;"Now you can be there as much as you want,adam."

"Very funny."answered he;"M.j. had an appointment with susan."

"With your ex?"said his friend surprised;"Why?"

"As you might remember,Kathleen,my ex is an psychiatrist at the hospital and Jamie has send m.j. there for a consult."started adam slowly;"He thought that it was about time that she dealt with what happened in new York and did something about her nightmares."

"But to send her to a shrink?"asked she;"Is it that bad?"

"I think that Jamie is right for sending m.j. to susan,because I have seen m.j. after a nightmare once and it wasn't a pretty sight."said her husband;"Maybe susan can help."

"When can m.j. go home again?"started ben quickly changing the subject when he saw how uncomfortable adam looked talking about that subject;"Does she have to stay at the hospital for much longer,adam?"

"No,she might be able to go home next week."answered he with a faint smile;"I have asked her to move in with me,but she thinks it's too soon."

"She's probably right."said Kathleen;"You two have just got back together again and justin,who is used to having aaron around,doesn't really know you and has to get used to being without aaron."

"It isn't my fault that my own son doesn't know me and that he's used to aaron and now has to learn to live without him!"began her friend angry and walked away;"I didn't even know that I had a son untill a few weeks ago."

"That was a touchy subject."answered cass after adam had left;"I think that adam still has a few issues to deal with and that it might cause problems between them some day."

That afternoon donna was talking to Nicole in the garden when the housekeeper came outside with shane and ryan;"These gentlemen are here to see you,mrs. Hudson."

"Thank you,greta."said she surprised as she turned towards the young men;"What can I do you both?"

"I…."started shane uncomfortable and saw the angry look in his girlfriend's eyes;"We…"

"I'm sorry to have to say this,mrs. Hudson,but we have a warrant for your arrest."answered his friend;"We have to place you under arrest for the murder of regioneld love a.k.a regioneld laSalle."

"Are you two insane or something?"asked Nicole furious as pushed shane away when he wanted to come closer towards her;"How can you arrest my sister for that?"

"I'm sorry,Nicole,I don't like this anymore then you do,but we have a witness that saw donna coming out of regioneld's room around the time of the murder."said he softly;"We are only doing our jobs!"

"It's okay."answered donna as she followed them out to their car;"I don't blame either of you for this,because you're only following orders."

"No,it's not okay!"yelled her sister and started attacking shane,hitting him where ever she could reach him while he just stood there,stuned;"I hate you,shane!"

"Nicole!"said marlee,who'd just driven up the driveway and came out of her car,shocked and grabbed her arms as she pulled her aunt away from shane;"What are you doing?"

"They are arresting donna!"answered she and looked at shane again furious,while she took the ring off her finger and threw it at him;"I hate you and I never want to see you again,shane,it's over between us!"

Scot was working in his office when cass walked in;"Aren't you finished yet?"

"Almost."answered he looking up;"How about you,cass,why are you still here instead of at home with your family?"

"I was just on my way out when I saw you sitting here."started his partner slowly;"So,have things settled down after your father's death?"

"Don't call him that!"said scott irritated;"He stopped being my father a long time ago after I found out what a monster he was,cass!"

"But still it must have been a shock when you found out about his murder,scott,nobody would blame you for being upset about that."

"I'm not upset about that!"answered he;"I couldn't care less."

"Then why have you been hiding out here in your office these last few days?"asked cass;"Eversince regioneld got killed you've been spending a lot of time downhere."

"I haven't been hiding downhere!"said scott angry when his secretary came in;"What is it?"

"It's your wife,mr. LaSalle."answered she hesitating;"Your mother called to say that she's at the hospital with your wife right now and that she wants you to come downthere as soon as possible."

"What happened?"asked her boss worried;"Was dawn in a n accident or something?"

"I don't know,mr. LaSalle."said his secretary and turned around again;"All I know is that they are at the hospital and that you have to go downthere right away."


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

At the cory's Rachel was laying on her bed when mac came in;"What are you doing home so early?"

"I was worried about you."said her husband as he sat down;"You've been through a lot lately."

"I'm fine."answered Rachel hesitating;"I've been thinking,mac,I don't want my kids to see me towards the end and when I can no longer take care of myself and I'm in so much pain that I will be forced to stay in bed the whole time."

"What are you trying to say,Rachel?"asked he worried;"Are you trying to tell me that you want to kill yourself before then or something?"

"No,ofcourse not."said his wife tired;"All I'm saying is that I don't want to put my kids through that or you."

"I'm going to stay with you untill the end,rachel!"started mac softly as he took her hand into his;"I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone and that's that!"

"But what about the kids?"answered she;"I already know that the end is going to be terrible and I don't want them to have to live through that!"

"I can understand that,honey,but there's not much that you can do about that except for killing yourself before then and I hope that you aren't thinking about that!"

"No,I have already told you that I'm not going to kill myself."said Rachel annoyed;"I was thinking about going away in a few months,towards the end,and staying away untill it's over."

"Going away where?"asked her husband surprised;"Where do you want to go?"

"Around the world or something like that,mac,as long as it isn't here and our kids don't have to go through seeing me die!"

"Maybe that isn't such a bad idea."said mac slowly;"That would give us a chance to spend some time together before the end and it won't put the kids through the pain of having to watch you die."

Later that night scott was waiting outside of the e.r. with his mother for the doctor to come back;"What is taking them so long,mom?"

"Sharlene will come as soon as she's finished with dawn."answered she and her her arm around her son;"Let's not get all worked up as long as we don't know anything."

"But what happened?"asked scott irritated;"Dawn was fine when I went back to the office just after lunch."

"I don't know what happened,scott,all I know that she was sitting in our kitchen and we were talking when all of a sudden she was in a lot of pain."started his mother softly;"Then she started bleeding and we called an ambulance."

"I'd just wish that sharlene would come and tell us what is wrong with dawn!"said he worried when all of a sudden dawn's doctor came towards them;"How is my wife,sharlene,what's wrong with her and how is the baby doing?"

"The placenta was coming off again and we had to perform a emergency operation to save dawn's life."answered sharlene;"It was really touch-and-go there."

"How is dawn?"asked scott shocked;"How is the baby?"

"Your wife is still in critical condition,because she has lost a lot of blood and her bloodpressure is pretty low right now,scott,but dawn is strong and I think that she will pull through this."began dawn's doctor hesitating;"We tried our best to save the baby too,but it was just too early."

"No!"yelled he angry and pushed mary away when she tried to put her arms around him to comfort him;"No,this can't be real!"

"I'm sorry,scott,I wish that I had better news for you."said sharlene as she walked away;"I'm really sorry."

"Atleast dawn is still alive,sweetheart!"started mary softly;"You can try to have another baby again in time."

"Didn't you just hear what sharlene said?"asked her son with tears in his eyes;"She isn't sure if dawn's gonna pull through this,mom!"

"Dawn is a strong woman and she will pull through this!"answered she and pulled him into her arms;"She knows that you and eric need her!"

Shane was sitting at the bar at tops,getting waisted,when felica sat down next to him;"Do you think that this will help?"

"I don't know and I don't care!"said he irritated as he asked for another beer from the bartender;"A few days ago I was so happy about Nicole saying yes to me and about becoming a father,felica,and now I have lost everything!"

"Come on,shane,I don't believe that!"answered his friend;"Nicole loves you and that can't just be gone."

"She hates me after what I did to her sister,felica,she never wants to see me again."

"Nicole is angry right now and she's acting out,but I'm sure that once she has calmed down a bit everything will turn out allright again."started she softly and gently touched the bruise on his cheeck;"How did this happen?"

"This is how angry Nicole is at me,felica,she really hates me and even gave back the ring."said shane tired and pulled the ring out of his pocket and placed it on the table;"Guess I won't be needing this anymore."

"I'm sure that things will be better in time,shane."answered felica with a sad smile;"I'm sure that you can get Nicole back again."

"I'm sorry,felica,I shouldn't be laying all my problems on you."started he ashamed;"That was pretty thoughtless of me."

"It's okay,shane,I'm glad to be thinking about something else for a change."said his felica softly;"All I do is think about mitch all day long."

"Is there anything that I can do for you?"asked her friend worried;"Anything at all?"

"Don't give up on your relationship with Nicole!"answered felica;"Just don't give up yet!"

At the hospital m.j. was watching tv when adam came in;"Hi,adam."

"Hi,honey."said he and kissed her;"How was your session with susan today?"

"It went okay."started his girlfriend hesitating;"Kathleen told me that you walked away angry at mary's place earlier."

"She shouldn't have made such a big deal about it,m.j."answered adam irritated;"It was nothing."

"Are you sure that it was nothing?"asked she softly;"Or are you still angry about me keeping the fact that you had a son from you for all this time?"

"I wish that your sister would keep her big mouth shut for once,because she's making you upset for no reason at all!"said her boyfriend;"I thought that we had been through this!"

"No,you went from being furious with me to being in love with me again,adam,so we didn't go through anything at all."

"That's because there's nothing to go through,so I don't see why you and Kathleen are making such a big deal about this!"

"It's kind of strange how we made up,because one minute we're fighting and the next minute we're suddenly making love again after more then two years."started m.j. slowly;"Your anger couldn't have gone away just like that,adam!"

"Why not?"asked he irritated again;"First I was angry with you,but then I realized just how much I love you and that's it."

"So are you trying to tell me that you're not angry with me anymore for not telling you about being pregnant when I left baycity?"

"That's right."said adam and kissed her;"You shouldn't let Kathleen get you all worked up over something as stupid as this!"


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Donna was waiting in her police-cell when Michael came in with cass;"Hi,honey,how are you holding up in here?"

"It's terrible here."answered his wife in tears;"When can I go home?"

"Not yet,donna,we have to get a judge to set bail for you first."started cass slowly;"It doesn't look good for you,because the police have a eye-witness that saw you coming out of regioneld's room at tops around the time of his murder and that in combination with the fact that you held a gun to him before doesn't paint a nice picture of you."

"How could somebody have seen donna there?"asked Michael confused;"She would never go up to his room!"

"Somebody saw me there because I did go to his room that day,Michael,but I didn't kill him and he was still alive when I left."answered his wife softly;"I only went downthere to convince him to go away and leave us alone!"

"But why didn't you tell me?"started he shocked;"Why,donna?"

"Because at first I knew that you'd get angry if I had told you and after we heard that he'd been killed around the same time that I was there I was scared that everybody would think that I had shot him."said donna;"I really didn't kill him!"

"Nobody is saying that you did,donna,but the fact that you were in his room around the time that he got shot and also the fact that you pulled a gun on him before isn't really helping much."answered cass;"But I will do my best to get you out of here."

Almost a week later sam was having breakfast at his brother's old room at tops when Rachel showed up at his doorstep;"Goodmorning,sam,can I come in?"

"Ofcourse."said he surprised to see his mother-in-law on his doorstep;"Is everything okay with Amanda?"

"What do you think?"asked Rachel softly;"She hates the idea of you living downhere and you not being at the house when she can go home again."

"I'm only doing this for her,Rachel,I think that she needs some time and space to get over what I have done to her."answered her son-in-law;"Do you think that I like the situation as it is right now?"

"Ofcourse not,but I'm not so sure if this is the answer either,sam,because I have never seen my daughter this unhappy."

"What do you want me to do then?"asked he irritated;"Move back into your house and go on with our lives as if nothing has happened?"

"No,but maybe you could spend some more time at the hospital with your wife and try to deal with it together!"answered Rachel;"Amanda told us that you have hardly been there since you left the hospital and she's starting to believe that your moving out of the house had another reasons then what you've told her."

"But that isn't true,Rachel,I've told her the truth about why I wanted to move out of the house!"said sam tired;"Maybe I should have gone to the hospital more often,but I was afraid to face Amanda because I still hate myself for what I have done!"

"Don't be afraid to face her because that will only drive you two further apart!"started his mother-in-law slowly;"After I cheated on mac with your brother a long time ago the only thing that got us through it was a lot of hard work,patience and understanding."

At the hospital scott was sitting next to his wife's bed when mary walked in;"How is she,scott?"

"She's still the same."said he;"How is eric doing?"

"He's okay,but he does miss you and dawn."answered mary hesitating;"You can't keep sitting next to her bed all day and all night."

"I have to be here when she wakes up again,mom."started her son softly;"I have to comfort her when she finds out about our baby."

"But the nurse can call you if she were to wake up and you aren't here."

"No,I have to be here,mom,I can't leave her side!"

"You have a son that needs you too,scott!"said she;"Staying here isn't going to change anything about the situation or make dawn wake up!"

"Do you think that dawn isn't going to wake up again?"asked scott angry;"That's what you think,mom,isn't it?"

"I just think that the longer dawn is like this the less chance there is of her waking up again."answered his mother;"You heard what sharlene said a few days ago about the bleeding in her brain not long after the operation and about the fact that she slipped into a coma,honey,the chance of dawn waking up again gets smaller everyday!"

"She's wrong!"yelled scott and tried to push back the tears;"Dawn is going to wake up again!"

Donna was sitting out in the garden when Michael came outside;'What are you doing outhere all alone?"

"I'm just enjoying my freedom and this garden for as long as I can."said his wife softly;"Once they lock me up who knows when I can sit here and enjoy this again."

"Nobody said that they are going to lock you up,honey."answered Michael surprised;"I'm sure that cass will get you out of this mess,donna."

"Do you think that I shot him?"asked she all of a sudden;"Do you think that I did it?"

"No,ofcourse not."started her husband,but she noticed him hesitating for a split second before answering her question;"I don't think that you did it."

"You hesitated!"answered donna angry;"You're no convinced that I didn't do it,michael!"

"That's not true!"said he;"I know that you didn't do it!"

"No,Michael,you want to believe that I didn't do it!"started his wife tired as she got up and walked away;"But you're not sure."

"Donna!"called Michael on after her;"Come back here!"

"What's wrong with donna?"asked his sister-in-law as she came outside and saw Michael standing there;"She walked right past me without saying a word,Michael,did you two just have a fight?"

"She's got it into her head that I think that she might have shot regioneld."answered he;"How can she think that?"

"I don't know,Michael,maybe because she knows that it must have crossed your mind atleast once."said she and saw the shocked look on his face;"It's the truth,because everybody must have thought that even if it was just for a split second."


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Around lunchtime Jamie walked into m.j.'s hospitalroom;"Hi,m.j."

"What brings you downhere?"asked she surprised;"Are you here to tell me that I can go home today?"

"No,you will have to wait untill tomorrow.'answered the young doctor hesitating;"I came to talk to you again about some of the things that we have talked about before."

"Oh,no,not again!"started m.j. annoyed;"What is there left to talk about,jamie?"

"I just want to make sure that you understand a few things!"said he;"Like trying to avoid stress,because that is what's causing your headaches most of the time."

"You have already told me that a couple of times,Jamie,I haven't forgotten!"

"I know that,but it's always good to go through these things again,so that everything keeps going great after you get home,m.j."

"You don't have to tell me all of this again,because I know that I have to avoid stress as much as possible and that I will have to take it easy."answered she;"I already know all these things!"

"How about your sessions with susan?"asked Jamie;"Are you going to keep seeing susan untill your nightmares are really gone?"

"I guess so."said his friend with a faint smile;"I really do want those nightmares to stop and if seeing susan is going to make them stop then I will go as often as I need to."

Mary and vince had just finished their lunch when Cheryl walked in with chad;"Hi,guys."

"Hi,honey."smiled her mother as she turned around;"Hi,chad."

"What brings you two downhere?"asked vince;"Not to bring bad news I hope."

"Ofcourse not,pops."laughed his daughter;"We've got good news or atleast we hope that it's good news for you."

"What kind of news is it?"asked he surprised;"What's the big news?"

"I'm going to move in with chad."answered Cheryl hesitating and looked scared at her father to see if he looked angry or not;"We really love eachother and we want to live together too."

"Is it really that serious between you two?"started her father teasing;"Do you now expect us to say it's okay with us,Cheryl?"

"I don't care if you're okay with it or not,pops,because I'm going to do this anyway."said she angry and didn't realize that vince was just teasing her;"This is my life and my choice!"

"Calm down,sweety,your father is just teasing you."smiled mary;"Ofcourse we're both okay with you moving in with chad."

"Ofcourse we are."laughed vince;"It was just a joke."

At tops marlee was there with Vicky;"Ryan hasn't called once eversince this whole mess with regioneld started."

"Maybe he's been busy."said her sister surprised;"I'm sure that he will call you soon enough."

"I can't believe that he would be too busy to even call me,Vicky,I think that he doesn't wanna see me anymore."

"Why wouldn't he wanna see you anymore,marlee?"asked she;"Why don't you call him and find out why ryan hasn't called you anymore?"

"Because if ryan doesn't want to see me anymore then that's his choice and I'm not going to call on after him."answered marlee irritated;"I don't need him."

"Yes,you do,marlee,I can tell by the look in your eyes that you're madly in love with ryan."started Vicky slowly;"Maybe ryan is afraid to call you because he probably thinks that you hate him for doing his job too,so it might be a good idea if you called him."

"Why would I hate him for doing his job?"asked her twinsister confused;"I understand that he was only doing what he was told to do when he arrested donna."

"Nicole broke up with shane over this and they have been seeing eachother for a lot longer then you and ryan have,so it isn't so strange that ryan might think that you feel the same way since it was our mother that he arrested."answered Vicky;"Just call him up and talk about this!"

That night Amanda was getting pretty bored in her hospitalbed when sam walked in;"Hi,honey."

"Sam…"said she surprised;"What are you doing here?"

"Can't I just come and see my wife without a good reason?"asked sam in an effort to be funny,but without any luck since Amanda didn't seem to be amused;"That was a joke."

"I don't see what's so funny about this whole situation,sam."answered his wife irritated;"I have hardly seen you since you left the hospital."

"I know and I'm sorry,but I didn't do that to hurt you."started he slowly;"The reason why I don't come around much lately has got nothing to do with you,but everything with me and how I feel."

"Have you been feeling sick or something?"asked Amanda worried;"Is that why you haven't been here to see me much lately?"

"Yes,in a way I have been sick,Amanda,sick of myself for being such an idiot and for what I have done to you."

"So you decided to stay away from me and make me feel terrible about you staying away,sam?"

"No,that was never my intension!"answered her husband;"Maybe it was stupid to stay away from you,Amanda,but I didn't mean to hurt you with that."

"Do you want us to get back to the way again that things were before this whole mess with tara and welcome our baby into this world together?"started she suddenly;"Or don't you?"

"Ofcourse I do!"said sam tired;"I want that more then anything!"

"Then act like it,sam,show me that you want the things to be normal again!"begged his wife in tears;"Show me that you love me just as much as I love you,because even though I'm still angry with you for what you have done that doesn't mean that I don't love you anymore and I need to know if you still love me too!"

"But I never stopped loving you for one second!"started sam softly as he kissed her gently;"I love you more then anything else on this world!"

At the Hudson's Michael was sitting in his study when his wife walked in;"I'm sorry,Michael,I shouldn't have acted like that towards you."

"It's okay,honey,I know that you're under a lot of stress because of the upcoming trail and everything."said Michael as he pulled her on to his lap;"Are you okay now?"

"Ofcourse I'm not okay,Michael,I can't stand the thought of having to go to jail."answered his wife irritated;"What if they find me guilty?"

"They won't find you guilty because you didn't do it and they have got nothing to go on."started he slowly;"Everything's gonna be okay again."

"Do you really believe that?"asked donna;"Do you really think that they will suddenly realize that I didn't kill him or something?"

"Yes,I do."said her husband as he kissed her;"Something will turn up to show them that you didn't do it,donna!"

"I hope so,because I don't want to spend the right of my life locked up!"answered she softly;"I also hope that Nicole makes up with shane again before the baby is born."

"She seems pretty angry at shane and seems to have no regrets about breaking up with him."

"That is only because she's angry with shane and I'm sure that once she begins to realize that none of this is his fault that they will find their way back together again."said donna as she gently kissed Michael;"Look at how many times we've been apart and look at us now."

M.j. was packing her things at the hospital when adam walked in;"Why are you packing your things?"

"Because I can go home tomorrow."answered his girlfriend annoyed;"I can't wait to get out of here."

"I could have packed your things for you,m.j."said adam as he pulled her into his arms;"I'm sure that your mood will improve too once you're out of here."

"Very funny!"smiled she and kissed him gently,while she put her arms around his neck;"When I'm out of here I can atleast sneak over to your place again for a few hours."

"No,you can't!"started her boyfriend quickly;"Atleast not for a while yet anyway,because Jamie said that you had to take it easy the first few weeks."

"Come on,adam,since when do you listen to your cousin?"asked m.j. surprised;"Taking it easy doesn't mean that I have to stay at home all day long and do nothing at all."

"I'm going to listen to every word that Jamie says,because this concerns your health and I don't want to see you end up back in the hospital again."smiled he and kissed her back;"Can you blame me for wanting to look out for you?"

"Ofcourse not,but I think that you're overreacting with this looking out for me stuff."said his girlfriend;"I even don't have to use a cain anymore thanks to Jamie getting me psychical therapy and my headaches aren't as bad anymore,so there's nothing wrong with me coming over to your place and it isn't going to kill me or anything unless you don't want me to come down to your place?"

"Now you're the one that's overreacting."laughed adam as he kissed her again;"Ofcourse I want you to come over to my place,honey,I even want you to move in with me,but I don't want you to risk your health just to see me!"

"Do you want to sneak over to my parents' house then or something?"asked m.j. teasing;"Because else we won't be able to be alone."

"Sure."smiled her boyfriend;"I'll sneak through your window at night."


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Later that night Nicole was coming out of the elevator at tops and wanted to walk up to felica when shane got in her way;"Go away,shane,leave me alone!"

"How can I leave you alone?"asked he;"I love you and you're pregnant with my baby,so how can you ask something like that from me?"

"Thanks to you my sister has to face a trail!"answered Nicole angry;"I want you to leave me alone because it's over between us,shane!"

"But I love you!"started he softly and Nicole could tell that he'd been drinking a lot;"I didn't want to arrest donna,but I didn't have any other choice and even if I hadn't done it somebody else would have!"

"Go away!"said his ex-girlfriend again and pushed him out of her way;"I don't ever want to see you again!"

"What do I have to do to win you back again,nicole?"begged shane;"Please tell me!"

"There is nothing that you can do,shane,because it's over!"answered she angry;"Just leave me alone!"

"But,Nicole…"began her boyfriend when he realized that she wasn't going to change her mind and walked into the elevator;"Fine,Nicole,I will leave you alone!"

"What was that all about?"asked felica worried as she walked up to Nicole right after shane had left;"Are you two still not back together again?"

"We won't get back together again,felica,not after what shane did!"started Nicole still angry;"I never want to see him again!"

"Be carefull with what you wish for,Nicole!"warned her friend her with a sad smile;"You might end up getting your wish!"

At the hospital scott was sitting next to his wife's bed when Kathleen walked in with cass;"Hi,scott,how is dawn doing?"

"Still the same."answered he tired;"Sharlene thinks that dawn's chances of waking up again are getting worse every day that she remains like this."

"Eric is really missing you."started Kathleen slowly;"When are you coming home again,because he keeps asking where you and dawn are."

"What am I suppose to say to him,kathleen?"asked her stepbrother frustrated;"That his mother might never wake up again?"

"Ofcourse no,scott,but you could atleast let him know that he's got atleast one parent who's there for him right now."said she;"Just go home and spend some time with your son!"

"Kathleen is right and you need your rest too."started cass slowly;"You can come back to the hospital in the morning and if there's anything the nurses will call you right away."

"Eric is probably asleep now anyway and it's no use waking him up,so I will spend some time with him tomorrow."said his brother-in-law;"I promise."

"Just make sure that you do go and see your son,because he needs you right now just as much!"warned Kathleen him;"He already doesn't have his mother right now,scott,so he atleast atleast be able to count on his father to be there for him!"

Marlee was walking along the beach with ryan,who she'd called right after her lunch with Vicky;"You really thought that I didn't want to talk you,ryan,why?"

"Well,I saw how Nicole reacted towards shane and I thought that you would probably hate me too."answered he a bit ashamed;"I know it sounds stupid,marlee,but I was really afraid to call you."

"I don't hate you for doing your job,because I know that it was nothing more then doing what you had been told to do and that it wasn't personal."said his girlfriend;"You should have called me!"

"I know and I'm sorry,marlee,I didn't mean to make you sad."started ryan slowly and put his arms around her;"I'm glad that you aren't angry with me or that you hate me."

"I'm glad that I called you and that we have sorted this out."smiled she while she kissed him;"I have really missed you."

"Well,I've missed you too."answered her boyfriend as he kissed her back;"I'm also glad that you don't feel the same way as Nicole."

"How is shane doing anyway?asked marlee worried;"Nicole says that she never wants to see him again,ryan."

"He's not doing so well right now because he'd just asked her to marry him and he'd found out that she was pregnant."said he slowly;"This whole situation is driving him crazy."

"Maybe Nicole will change her mind once she's calmed down."answered his girlfriend;"Maybe they will make up again."

The next morning adam went by the station real early to work for a few hours before had had to pick m.j. up from the hospital and was surprised to find shane there,already working in their office;"What are you doing here this early?"

"What do you think that I'm doing?"asked his partner irritated without looking up;"I'm working!"

"I'm just surprised to see you here this early,shane,you don't have to bite my head off."said adam and noticed the smell of beer;"Have you been drinking?"

"Just mind your own damn business,adam,I'm busy!"answered he angry;"I'm about to find proof that donna couldn't have killed regioneld."

"What kind of proof?"asked his friend surprised;"Did you tell the captain about this yet?"

"No,adam,I have to tell Nicole about this and make her understand that I really didn't want to throw her sister in jail!"

"Maybe you should take a break or something,because you look like you've been up for days."started he slowly;"Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"No,I don't have time to go home!"answered shane and pushed adam away while he walked out the door;"I have to get Nicole to understand!"

"Come on,shane,stop!"called his friend on after him as he followed shane into the parkinglot;"Don't tell me that you want to go driving yourself because it's obvisious that you've been drinking and that you haven't had a good night sleep in days,shane,you're going to kill yourself if you go driving in this state!"

"Mind your own business!"yelled he angry and got into his car,locking the doors;"I have to do this!"

"Then let me drive you where you want to go!"said adam worried and tried to open the cardoor as shane started his car;"You're going to kill yourself like this,so please open the door!"

"It doesn't matter if I kill myself or not if I don't get Nicole to change her mind about us,adam,because if I don't then I will have lost everything that I love anyway."answered shane and drove off.

"Damn it!"said his friend frustrated as he walked back into the policestation;"He has really lost his mind this time!"

Vince was having breakfast when mary came downstairs and into the kitchen;"Goodmorning,honey."

"Goodmorning,vince,you were up early."said she and sat down;"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."answered he surprised about the worried look in her eyes;"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know,vince,maybe because of the fact that your youngest daughter is moving in with a man that you didn't like all that much when you thought that he had something to do with what happened to m.j."

"That's all in the past now,mary,I've realized that chad isn't such a bad guy after all and that with the fact that he saved cheryl's life has shown me that Cheryl could have done a lot worse."

"So does that mean that you're really okay with Cheryl moving in with him?"asked mary still not convinced;"You don't have any doubts about this relationship?"

"No,none at all."smiled vince;"If they love eachother and he's good to her then I'm okay with it."

"I'm glad about that,vince."started mary hesitating;"Are you worried about m.j.'s relationship with adam then?"

"What relationship?"asked he suddenly irritated;"How long do you think that it will be before he gets angry at her again and breaks up with her,mary?"

"Come on,vince,you can't keep blaming adam for what happened more then two years ago!"answered she softly;"M.j. had only herself to blame for adam breaking up with her and it wasn't his fault that she left."

"If he hadn't broken her heart then she wouldn't have left,mary!"

"But she could have told him the truth long before their weddingday and can you really blame adam for reacting that way when he found out the truth?"asked mary;"You were shocked too after m.j. told you the truth about what happened in Chicago,vince,just like adam was when he found out!"

"But I didn't drive her out of town,mary!"yelled he angry;"I didn't treat her like a …."

"No,but you did act differently towards her after you'd found out,vince,because you were in shock and so was adam!"started mary slowly and put her arms around his neck in the hope of calming him down again;"Adam now knows that he was wrong back then,honey,he really does love her and she loves him,so please try to accept their relationship and also try to remember that he's justin's father."


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

At the hospital Amanda had just finished her breakfast when her mother walked in;"Goodmorning,sweety."

"Hi,mom,where's dad?"asked her daughter;"Didn't he come with you?"

"No,your father had to be at brava."said Rachel;"So,has sam been here to see you,amanda?"

"Yes,yesterday."answered she surprised;"How did you know?"

"Because I went to see him yesterdaymorning and we had a good talk."began her mother slowly when she saw the annoyed look on amanda's face;"Before you start getting angry at me or your husband,Amanda,you should listen to me first."

"Why,mom?"asked Amanda angry;"So that you can tell me what to do too?"

"I didn't tell sam what to do,Amanda,that he came here to see you was because he wanted to see you and not because I told him to!"answered she;"Do you want your relationship with sam back on track or not?"

"What kind of a question is that,mom,ofcourse I want things to get back to normal between us again and I have told him that too!"

"Then show him that,Amanda,because sam isn't the only one at fault here!"

"I didn't cheat on him!"said her daughter angry again;"I did nothing wrong!"

"Who's idea was it to move in with us?"asked Rachel tired;"You've known all along that sam hated living under our roof instead of in a place of your own and you kept forcing him to stay there,because you wanted to stay there and you didn't care about his feelings."

"That isn't true!"answered she;"I told sam that I wanted to wait a while before we moved out of there into a place of our own,mom."

"Come on,Amanda,I know you better then anybody else and I know when you're lying to me,so don't tell me that you did want to move out of there after a while."began her mother slowly;"Let me tell you this,honey,keeping a marriage work takes a lot of hard work from both sides and it's time that you started working a little harder!"

"What do you want from me?"asked Amanda with tears in her eyes while she was stuned about her mother's hard words;"Do you want me to forgive sam for what he did just like that and go on as if nothing has happened?"

"Ofcourse not,honey,but if you want to get over what happened then you will have to work on this together instead of apart and you will also have to admit to your own faults in this failing marriage instead of blaming it all on sam!"answered Rachel;"Your father and I got through my affair with sam's brother by working together too,so if you really love sam then work together with him through your problems."

Just before noon susan arrived at tops to have lunch with david when she sat down at his table;"Hello,david."

"I'm glad you came."smiled he;"You look beautyfull."

"You're a sweettalker,david."laughed susan;"But what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Straight to the point as always,susan."answered her friend when the waiter came with their lunch;"First things first,my dear,I hope you don't mind that I went ahead and ordered for the both of us?"

"Ofcourse not."said she curious;"Please tell me what you wanted to ask me,david,it isn't fair to keep me waiting untill after lunch."

"You're still so impatience."laughed david;"But you're right,susan,as you know I have to get back to Washington in a few days and I want you to come with me."

"For a vacation or something?"asked his friend surprised;"I just can't take some time off like that,david,not on such short notice."

"No,not just for a vacation."answered he;"For the rest of your life."

"You're joking,right?"started susan stuned;"Did you really just ask me to come to Washington with you forgood?"

"Yes,that was my question."said her friend;"There are fine hospitals there too and you know how I feel about you,susan,so why not?"

"But I don't love you and you know that,david,so it would be mean to lead you on like that."

"You wouldn't be leading me on by coming with me,susan,because I do know that you don't feel the same way as I do and I don't expect that from you either."

"What do you expect from me if I should come back with you to Washington?"asked susan softly;"Why do you want me to move to Washington with you?"

"I want you to come with me because I want you closer to me and I want to be there for you,susan,as a friend and I know that you're not happy here anymore."answered her friend;"I just know that I could make you happy again in Washington and I don't expect you to fall for me or anything,but just let me be your friend and let me take care of you."

Ryan walked into the captain's office at the policestation;"I've got something that you should see,sir."

"What is it?"asked he looking up;"This better be good,Harrison,I was just finishing up here and about to go home."

"I think that shane has found proof that donna Hudson couldn't have killed her father."started he slowly and showed the captain a list of phonenumbers;"This shows that regioneld laSalle made a phonecall about ten minutes after the witness saw mrs. Hudson leave her father's room."

"But that paper doesn't say that he made that call,Harrison!"said the captain;"Where did cassidy get that list anyway?"

"I don't know,captain,I found it on shane's desk."answered ryan;"Maybe it doesn't prove that regioneld made that call,but it does show that either mr. laSalle was still alive or somebody else was in the room after mrs. Hudson left,so she couldn't have killed him."

"Did Cassidy order that list from tops without my okay?"asked his captain angry;"Where is he anyway?"

"I don't know,captain,I have no idea."said ryan;"I came in about ten minutes ago and found the list on shane's desk."

"We will deal with him later!""started he slowly;"First you have to call the number on that list to see if mr. laSalle made that call or not and if he did then we will have a meeting with the D.A. to see how we're going to handle this."

At the 's adam had just brought m.j. back from the hospital when Kathleen walked in with cass;"Hi,guys."

"How are you feeling?"asked cass as he closed the backdoor and turned towards his sister-in-law;"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine and I'm going to scream if somebody is going to ask me that one more time!"answered m.j. irritated as she walked out of the kitchen and up to her bedroom;"Just leave me alone!"

"I will go and talk to her."said her boyfriend as he walked on after her and knocked on her door as he got upstairs;"Can I come in,m.j.?"

"No!"yelled she from the other side of the door;"Go away,adam!"

"Come on,m.j."started adam as he opened the door;"Don't be such a hothead."

"What part about go away don't you understand,adam?"asked his girlfriend angry and threw a pillow at him;"Just leave me alone!"

"Everybody's just worried about you."said he while he sat down on the bed next to her;"Can you blame them?"

"I guess not,adam,but you don't all have to smother me just because you're worried about me!"answered m.j. a bit calmer;"Everybody keeps watching my every move and I hate that!"

"Maybe we're all overdoing it a bit,but didn't you just fly off the handle downstairs just now and storm out of the kitchen?"laughed her boyfriend while he kissed her;"You're still a hothead,m.j."

"That's a family-trade."smiled she and kissed him back;"Do you want to go back downstairs?"

"Not yet."answered adam as he gently pushed her down on the bed and leaned closer towards her while he kissed her again;"Not when i've got the chance to be all alone with you right now."


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Around three that afternoon Michael just got home from the office when he ran into ryan,who was getting out of his car;Hi,ryan,what brings you downhere?"

"Good news,I hope."smiled he as they walked into the house;"Is donna home?"

"I think so."said Michael surprised;"What's the good news?"

"In a minute."answered his daughter's boyfriend;"Let's see if your wife is home first."

"What are you doing here,ryan?"asked marlee worried when she came down the stairs with her mother and saw her boyfriend standing the hallway with Michael;"Please don't tell me that you're here to pick up donna again."

"No,he's here with good news."started her father slowly as he turned towards ryan;"So,ryan,since my wife is here now you can tell us the good news."

"The good news is that there is now proof that mr. LaSalle made a phonecall after mrs. Hudson was seen by a witness leaving his room,so she's free of all charges."answered he;"We're all very sorry about everything that you had to go through and I'm sure that the D.A. will contact your lawer to rap things up further."

"How did this proof suddenly turn up,ryan?"asked donna all confused;"I thought that I was going to be convicted for sure."

"It seems that shane'd asked the phonenumbers-list of your father's room at tops and that he found out about the phonecall after you'd left."said her daughter's boyfriend;"That's all I know."

"But where is shane?"asked Michael surprised;"If this is all thanks to him then why isn't he here with you to tell us the good news?"

"I have no idea where shane is,Michael,when I got to the station earlier he wasn't there and I found the phone-list that he was working on on tops of his desk,so I'm a bit worried about him because nobody has seen him since this morning when adam saw him driving off in a weird state of mind."started ryan slowly when suddenly Nicole walked in;"Have you seen shane?"

"Yes,he showed up at the store this morning,drunk and going on about us and donna and god knows whatever else,but I refused to listen to him and shut the door in his face."answered she;"He must have been drinking all night or something because he was a total mess."

"Shane had been working,Nicole,he hadn't been out drinking all night because when I called adam a little while ago he said that he'd seen him really early this morning at the policestation and it seems that he'd been working there all night."said her niece's boyfriend;"Where did he go?"

"How should I know?"asked she angry;"I'm not his keeper!"

"Ryan is just worried about shane because nobody has seen him since this morning."answered donna softly;"Shane found the proof to clear me from regioneld's murder,Nicole,thanks to him I don't have to appear in court in a few weeks."

"But how?"started her sister shocked;"I…."

"I checked with the officer on duty at the desk lastnight,Nicole,it seems that shane came to the station lastnight and didn't leave untill this morning after adam found him sitting at his desk and according to adam he was acting really weird as he drove off in his car."said ryan hesitating;"He might have seemed drunk to you because the smell of beer was all around him according to adam and maybe he had been drinking lastnight before he came down to the station,but he has been working all night long on your sister's case,which he has been doing a lots of nights lately according to the desksergant,and I can tell you that he's in a lot of trouble according to our captain for going behind his back."

"Then shouldn't somebody be out there looking for him?"started Nicole suddenly worried and couldn't help thinking about felica's remark about being carefull with what you wish for;What if something has happened to him?

At the hospital sam walked into his wife's room and found her talking to sharlene;"Hi,ladies."

"Hi,sam."said sharlene as she turned around and walked away;"I'll look in on you later,Amanda,bye guys."

"What was sharlene doing here?"asked sam worried;"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine,sam."answered his wife;"She was just here to tell me that I might able to go home in a few days."

"But is that safe for you and the baby?"started he still worried;"Aren't you better off at the hospital where they can help you right away if something goes wrong or something?"

"As long as I take it easy then nothing will go wrong."said Amanda hesitating;"You could move in with me into our new house just to make sure that I'm okay and to keep on eye on me."

"Our new what?"asked her husband surprised;"What are you talking about,Amanda?"

"I want to go looking for a house for use as soon as I can go home again."began she softly;"If that's okay with you."

"Ofcourse it is."smiled sam;"But why now all of a sudden?"

"Because my mother made me realize that I've been blaming you for everything that has gone wrong in our marriage,but that some of the blame is mine too and that I've been pretty been selfish."answered his wife as she took his hand into hers;"I don't want you to live somewhere else,sam,please help me find a house for us and move in there with me,because I love you and I don't want to lose you!"

"You won't lose me and I only moved out of your parents' house because I thought that you needed some space to get over what I did,Amanda,that's the only reason."

"But I need you to help me to get through this,sam,I can't do this alone!"said Amanda with tears in her eyes;"I need you!"

"Then we will go looking for a house for us and I won't go back to my brother's old room."smiled he and kissed her;"I promise."

In susan's office she was sitting,thinking about her relationship with adam among other things,when there was a knock on the door and when she looked up she saw adam standing there;"Hey,susan,can I come in?"

"Sure."said she surprised;"What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to thank you for what you're doing for m.j."started her ex-boyfriend hesitating;"It's really helping her."

"So,are you two together again?"asked susan and wished she hadn't asked that question;"No,wait,adam,don't answer that."

"Yes,susan,we're back together again and before you say anything I want you to know that I really thought that I was over m.j. or else I wouldn't have gotten involved with you."answered he;"I never meant to hurt or decive you in any way and I really do care about you."

"But you don't love me and you probably never have."said his ex-girlfriend with a sad smile;"You have always loved her."

"I thought that I didn't love her anymore and that I was in love with you,susan,I honestly did and I'm sorry for causing you pain."answered adam;"I hope that you find somebody special who's totally in love with you and who will give you everything that you deserve."

"Thanks,adam,I hope thinks work out for you and m.j."started she softly;"I really mean that and I will do whatever I can to help her get those nightmares to go away."

"Thanks,susan,take care."smiled adam as he walked away;"Bye."


	63. Chapter 63 The final Chapter of aw I

Chapter 63

Ben was working at mary's place when Cheryl walked in with chad;"Hi,you two."

"Hi,ben."said his sister as they sat down;"Where's Emily?"

"She's at home."answered he;"So,all set to move in together?"

"We sure are."smiled Cheryl as she kissed chad before turning back towards her brother;"When are you going to find a place of your own for you and Emily?"

"Soon enough."laughed her brother;"We will have to find something soon anyway,because at the beginning of next year we will have an addition to our family."

"Is Emily pregnant?"asked chad surprised;"Are you going to become a dad,ben?"

"Yes,in about six-and-a-half months or so."answered he;"Isn't that great?"

"It sure is."said sister sister and have him a hug;"Congratulations."

"Congratulations,ben."started chad uncomfortable and tried to hide the fact that he suddenly felt really uncomfortable;"I'm sure that you will be a great dad."

"So,when are you two going to start a family?"asked ben;"With kids and all?"

"I don't know."answered his sister as she noticed the strange look in her boyfriend's eyes;"We haven't talked about that yet."

"No,we haven't."said chad quickly and got up;"I have to go and talk to felica about tonight,Cheryl,do you want to come with me or do you want to stay here?"

"I'll stay here."started she confused;"When will you be back?"

"Soon enough."answered her boyfriend as he kissed her goodbye and walked away;"Bye."

That night Rachel was sitting on the couch when mac came out of the study;"Are you finished with work for the day?"

"Yes,I am."answered her husband as he sat down next to her;"I know that I've been working hard these last few days,Rachel,but I have to get things done if we want to go away next week."

"I know that,mac."said she softly;"I just hope that sam and amanda can sort things out before we go away."

"Maybe your talk with her this morning helped,honey,I wouldn't worry too much about it,because Amanda loves sam and he loves her too."

"I hope so,because I don't really feel comfortable leaving while they're still having problems."answered Rachel;"I just know that they can overcome these problems."

"Do you want to stay here untill they have sorted out their problems?"asked her husband;"We can wait if that is what you want,Rachel,we don't have to leave next week."

"No,you know that I want to be away from here when things start to get worse with my health."started she slowly;"We are going to leave next week."

Maybe Amanda and sam have already sorted things out by now after what you said to her this morning."said mac as he kissed his wife;"Don't worry,honey,everything will work itself out."

At shane's house Nicole used her key,that she hadn't returned yet,to open up the door and walked into the livingroom while she turned on the lights when she saw shane laying on the couch,sleeping.

"Hey,shane,wake up!"started Nicole worried as she sat down next to him and shook him up gently;"Wake up!"

"What?"asked he confused as he woke up and saw Nicole sitting there;"Nicole?"

"Stay awake!"said his ex-girlfriend and shook him a few times again when she saw that he was falling back to sleep again;"Shane!"

"Let me sleep!"whispered he annoyed with his eyes still closed;"I'm tired!"

"You have to wake up!"answered Nicole worried and kept shaking him a bit;"I have to see if you're okay!"

"Why?"asked shane softly as he opened his eyes;"Since when do you care if I'm okay or not,because lastnight you told me that you never want to see me again and this morning you slammed the door shut in my face!"

"That isn't fair,shane,I was angry at you!"said she hesitating;"Do you have any idea how worried we all were after ryan told us that nobody knew where you were?"

"I don't care!"answered her ex-boyfriend angry and closed his eyes again;"I just want to sleep!"

"Where's your car?"asked Nicole suddenly as she woke him up again as he was falling back to sleep;"I didn't see your car standing outside,shane."

"I ran out of fuel as I was driving,so I had to walk back downhere."said he tired;"Can you please just let me sleep now,Nicole,I'm so tired."

"Ofcourse,shane,go back to sleep."smiled his ex-girlfriend and realized that she couldn't live without him as she kissed him gently as he fell back to sleep again;"I'll be right here."

David was about to go asleep at his room at tops when susan showed up on his doorstep;"What are you doing here,susan,is everything okay?"

"I will go with you to Washington."said she softly as they sat down on the couch;"But I can't promise you anything more then friendship right now!"

"Are you being serious?"asked her friend surprised;"You didn't seem all that happy about the idea at lunch and I was sure that you were going to say no."

"I was,but adam came up to my office earlier and it seems that he's totally going for m.j. and their son,so I'm going to keep running into them around town as one big happy family from now on and I just can't take that."started susan slowly;"So I have decided to make a fresh start in Washington with you,away from here."

"I'm glad that you have decided to come with me,susan,but are you sure that this is what you want?"

"Ofcourse I am,david,otherwise I wouldn't be doing it."answered she annoyed;"I will miss my brother and my friends,but I can always come downhere to visit them and ryan can come to washington too."

"I already have a job for you at the finest hospital in Washington."smiled david when he saw the surprised look on susan's face;"I thought or rather I hoped that I'd be able to convince you about what a great idea it would be to move down to Washington with me and that is why I called a friend of mine a few hours ago about a job for you at his hospital."

"But please just remember that I can't promise you anything more then friendship right now,david!"warned susan him hesitating;"I don't want you to expect more from me then I can give you."

"I know that you don't love me in that way right now and I'm not expecting anything from you."answered her friend;"But who knows what the future might bring."

The end….

Curious about the lives of the people in baycity and how their future will be?

Be sure to read Another World part 2….

Coming soon…


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